


To Be Remade

by ChangeTheCircumstances



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, Laura does exist but in a different way, M/M, Post-Movie, other characters to be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-06
Updated: 2015-07-11
Packaged: 2018-03-29 07:25:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3887449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChangeTheCircumstances/pseuds/ChangeTheCircumstances
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wanda wonders what she will do without her brother after the events at Sokovia. However, she's soon forced to wonder what she will do with her brother after the realization that her powers have a much farther reach than first assumed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Wanda's powers had a farther reach than she first realized. She came about this knowledge three days after Pietro's death. Three days of mourning. Three days of being in the air on the Helicarrier as plans were made for the rebuilding of Sokovia. Three days where the red in her eyes never seemed to fully die.

Though she wasn't constantly at Pietro's side, most of her time was spent in the refrigerated room where his body lay. The cloths he'd died in hadn't been removed yet and he still hadn't been cleaned up. Despite plenty having been saved, there were those that had died due to Ultron's power, hundreds of buildings had been destroyed, families completely uprooted, and she understood if the looking after of one boy had to be postponed.

Because that was what he was. A boy. And she was only a girl.

And in this moment of feeling powerless, of feeling broken and utterly crushed, she had truly never been more potent.

Wanda hadn't even realized what she'd done until she'd heard the huge gasp of air, felt the hand on her own. She almost screamed but just barely contained it as her eyes met her brother's, wide with fear. They didn't stay open for long though, his body quickly going slack like before though now his chest faintly moved in an uneven rhythm.

Even though her once thought enemies had become her allies, not even for a second she thought to go to them. Even with one of their own having saved her, even with them taking the initiative and rebuilding her country, she couldn't fully trust them. At least not all of them.

One man had left the scene early and she didn't mean the Hulk. What with Stark's own army of robots, Thor's godlike power, and Captain America's quick, strategic thinking, and the remnants of SHIELD there, they could honestly spare one person and from Wanda's understanding, he had left because he had his own family to take care of too.

She found the location from one of the Avenger's minds, not even having to leave her place beside her brother to do it, and then succeeded in avoiding all security. At one point or another, she would have cataloged the information for her and her brother's sake but now she did so, promising to give the helpful information to SHIELD.

Leaving a note, Wanda claimed that she was going to bury her brother and that her trip could take as long as a week but that she'd be back.

After already leaving the Helicarrier however, she now realized that she needed a way to get to the destination. Commandeering a cargo plane destined for the US, she flew with the pilot, right in the cockpit, though he never did find out they were there.

She then took a car, knowing that hitchhiking would jeopardize the whole point of the destination being hidden. And that was when she didn't take into account that her brother was still unconscious though his breathing hadn't slowed down or escalated either.

Nearly twenty-four hours had passed by the time that she finished driving through the forest and the field in front of her opened up with the house in the distance. She drove a bit more and then stopped unnecessarily far away, both cautious and unsure if she'd be welcomed.

It being about four in the morning, Wanda knew that suspicion would be great so she kept her wits about her and her powers ready, not to hurt but simply to protect on the off chance that the policy was shoot and ask questions later.

Knowing that any introduction would be odd, she went with the simplest and made her way to the front door and knocked.

The one called Hawkeye probably had looked through some window, peered behind a curtain, because the door was fully opened with a very confused man exclaiming, "Wanda?"

"I…was not sure where to go. Or who to trust."

"How the hell did you even find this place?"

"I looked into the red haired woman's head. Black Widow. I just…we needed someone's help," Wanda carefully responded.

"We, who else did you bring?" he asked, clearly still cautious as proven by the gun that he suddenly revealed. He didn't point it at her though, simply kept it close to his chest and looked towards the car.

"Come. It is easier to show you," replied Wanda as she turned her back and quickly headed over.

She could hear the other following her, his steps careful and methodical. Wanda moved to the side of the car and pulled open the door. Hawkeye moved over and then she could hear his sharp intake of breath.

Moving forward, Hawkeye checked for the pulse, found it, and then asked, "Is he still bleeding?"

"He never got shot."

Confused, Hawkeye didn't ask any further questions as he scooped up Pietro and quickly walked back to the house. He pushed the door aside and then set Pietro on the couch as he rushed to grab any medical supplies he could find but Wanda quickly stopped him.

"I told you. He never got shot."

Looking down at the small collection he'd already gathered, Hawkeye slowly said, "How about you tell me everything. From the very beginning. Like why come here? Weren't you at the Helicarrier?"

"Yes but…I did something. I do not think they would trust me if they knew. You are one of the few men who has told me what I needed to hear. Someone who truly seemed to care. And I needed  _someone_ ," she finished.

Hawkeye sighed but allowed himself a small smile. He finally seemed to ease up as he asked, "You drink coffee?"

"I have once or twice. But not American Coffee. It is stronger, yes?"

"Depending on where you are, definitely," Hawkeye replied as he moved into the kitchen and quickly went about making a pot.

Glancing at her brother, she decided he was safe enough and Wand followed Hawkeye into the other room and said, "I thought Hawkeye preferred bows and arrows."

"I do but guns are easier to hide about the house. And call me Clint. I'm not an Avenger right now," he responded. "Now, explain to me how he didn't get shot because I was there. He saved me and that kid."

Wanda bit her lip, unsure if she should reveal her secret and finally she led with, "I did not bring him back to life. Not the way you are thinking. I changed reality. I made it so that he was never shot in the first place."

"You mean you changed the past," Clint slowly responded. "Like you changed the universe?"

Nodding, her face clearly turned upset as she murmured, "I did not think of the implications. I do not know if there will be any. But I could have hurt so many people because of a careless mistake…again. Pietro means the world to me but I could have changed the outcome of the war without meaning to. I still could."

Looking like she wanted to cry, her eyes remained dry however as it was clear she was nevertheless beginning to crumble.

"Hey, come here," Clint said softly as he took a couple of steps forward and opened up his arms into an inviting hug. After some hesitation, she took it and held on tightly.

"I could not trust the Avengers or SHIELD. I could not trust what they would do to Pietro or me…or what they may force me to do. I could not trust them."

Pulling away slightly, Clint looked her in the eyes and said, "Well you can trust me, alright? Kay? But I need to know what you want from me."

"What?"

"What you want from me? I'll help you in any way I can, even if it's as simple as keeping this a secret but you came to me instead of going to someone else or even going out on your own. So what do you need?"

"Could you…would it be possible to allow Pietro and I to stay here for several days. And if he does not awake, even if he awakes, could he stay here with you watching over him? In case something wrong happens."

"Of course!" Clint replied just as the coffee finished. "You can stay longer if needed."

"I left a note saying I would be back soon. And I want to help. I believe I want to be an Avenger. But I cannot trust them so readily with this. I only trusted you because I felt that it was my only option," responded Wanda.

"Alright, but I'll keep Pietro here for as long as he needs a place. I'll see if Tony or SHIELD records—hey I won't tell anyone what you've done. I'll just see if either or have any information on someone being able to manipulate reality. I can probably get Nat to hack in without any questions asked," Clint replied as he handed her a cup of coffee and then headed into the living room with his own cup in hand.

Clint sat next to Pietro and carefully peeled up the shirt, some areas sticking, to reveal smooth skin that said it had never been shot even though Clint's memory said something different. "How do you know you didn't simply bring him back to life? If you've never done this before, how do you know you changed reality?"

"I could…feel it," Wanda said carefully. "It is another dimension. One that we are aware of but cannot see. Cannot change. Like time."

"Thought about talking to Thor or Vision about this? Sounds like something right up their alley," responded Clint.

"I only just changed my brother's future. I have not been thinking about much else except Pietro and the consequences of my actions."

Letting out a small sigh, Clint replied, "Right…it was meant more as a joke than anything else. Anyways, let's just clean him up, okay? Has he woken up since you brought him back?"

"No."

"Kay. The only place with a tub is upstairs so we'll clean him off and put him in the spare room. You'll have to stay with him. All the other rooms are full at the moment," Clint responded.

"That's fine. Thank you," Wanda said earnestly.

They quickly brought Pietro up the stairs and gave him a quick wash down, just enough to get the blood off him and to slightly clean up his hair. Clint then grabbed some spare cloths and had just finished getting the kid into something cleaner in the spare room with Wanda's help when the door opened.

An elderly woman stood in the doorway, not looking the least bit surprised. "Already leaving again?"

"What? No no Silvia. I'll explain in the morning but these two will be staying with us for a bit," Clint quickly said.

"It's already morning."

"I'll explain  _later_  in the morning."

Raising an eyebrow, Silvia glanced at a clock in the room and replied, "It's nearly six and I smell coffee. I'll be downstairs and I expect to see you in five minutes to explain all of this."

Clint rolled his eyes but gave a nod as he turned back to Pietro to make sure he looked comfortable.

"Your mother?" questioned Wanda curiously.

"Mother- _in-law_."

"Ah, what of the rest of your family?"

"You looked into Nat's head, right? Didn't you see anything else?" Clint asked.

"I just got the coordinates. I didn't want to appear intrusive."

"Ah, well thanks I suppose. But yeah it's me, my mother-in-law, and my two kids. Listen, you can come back down if you want or stay with your brother. It doesn't matter to me and I'm sure you're exhausted anyways. We can talk more after you get some rest. Or not. It doesn't really matter," Clint answered honestly.

His rambling caused a small smile from Wanda before she moved her eyes back to Pietro and Clint hurried down the stairs to explain everything to his in-law.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be completely honest I didn't think anyone would be interested in this so thank you for taking the time to read this. :)

It took some time for Clint to explain everything to his mother-in-law, mainly because he hadn’t had a chance to tell her what had happened at the showdown with Ultron. After that, Clint went around doing simple choirs until both Cooper and Lila had woken up. He then went about making a rather late breakfast with all their help when Wanda finally showed up again.

Clint had honestly wondered if the kid would really stick around and had half expected to go up there and see the twins gone. Nevertheless, he was pleased that she seemed to be staying. Though maybe not to her extent, he did know what it was like to be unable to trust someone so readily.

Cooper’s and Lila’s heads spun around, eyes wide and curious upon seeing the girl for the first time.

“Don’t just stare. Introduce yourself,” Clint reminded them as he nudged Cooper forward.

“I’m Cooper Barton,” the kid quickly said with perhaps a bit to much enthusiasm.

“And I’m Lila Barton!”

“I said, introduce yourself not sound off,” muttered Clint with a laugh. “We’re making breakfast though. Care to join us?”

“If you do not mind. Is there anything I can do?” Wanda asked uncertainly.

“Set the table if you could. All plates are right in that cabinet.”

Silvia looked up from a newspaper she was reading curiously. “Oh, so _now_ we’re going to be civilized today.”

“What do you mean by now?” asked Clint.

“Well, I was worried you’d proceed with your usual cave man antics of eating off the damn skillet but it looks like you’re actually trying to appear civilized for once,” she replied as she pulled the paper back in front of her face.

“Really? We’re going to go through this again? You do realize that it is me who cleans the dishes and sweeps and mops the floors and basically cleaning in general, right?” asked Clint. “Would a cave man do that?”

“You only do it because Laura is hardly ever here to pick up your slack.”

“Laura is horrible at cleaning!”

“Which is probably why this house is a permanent mess,” replied Silvia.

Clint made a pouting face but then let out the grin again, showing that it was all in fun and games. As Wanda grabbed the plates and set them around the table, she asked, “Is Laura your wife?”

“Ex-wife.”

“And you still live together?”

“Sort of,” Clint replied.

“They’re still friends,” Cooper quickly put in as he took his place at the table. “And both are hardly home so Grams usually takes care of us.”

“Yeah, it just didn’t make sense moving and it’s not like the place is more mine or more hers. Besides, it was a mutual separation,” Clint said as he walked around and started piling food onto plates.

“Why is she hardly home?” asked Wanda.

“Works for Damage Control. They basically clean up the destruction caused by superheroes and not just the Avengers so she stays pretty busy. They currently just operate in the U.S.”

Nodding, Wanda waited, not wanting to be rude, but the kids quickly dug in the moment the food was placed in front of them so she slowly began eating as well. It had been a while since she’d had a full meal like this and even longer if the feeling of family was included. She wished that Pietro was there to join her.

“How long?” asked Lila to Wanda.

“How long what?”

“How long will you be here?” Lila continued. “Aunt Nat doesn’t usually stay long and last time dad had friends over it was only for a day.”

“Only a couple of days,” Wanda replied. “Though my brother may stay longer.”

“Can we meet him!” shouted out Cooper. “Dad said he was super fast and cool and that he helped the Avengers!”

Rolling his eyes, Clint said, “You can once he starts feeling better and not a moment sooner.”

“Are you an Avenger?” asked Lila.

“Well…I don’t—”

“She’s the most powerful Avenger we’ve got,” Clint interrupted with a grin as Lila’s and Cooper’s eyes grew wide.

A small smile appeared on Wanda’s face just as Cooper asked, “Are you stronger than Thor?”

“I’m not really an Avenger,” Wanda replied instead of answering the question. “I simply helped my country.”

“So you’re like Captain America,” Lila responded.

“How about a little less talk about the Avengers kids. Wanda’s had an extremely exhausting day and—you don’t mind me calling you Wanda do you?” asked Clint.

“Not at all.”

“Okay, just wanted to make sure. But yeah, she’s had a hard day and you two bombarding her with questions is probably not helping,” Clint finished with a pointed look at the two.

“If you were hoping to give her peace and quiet then why’d you even let her in the front door?” asked Silvia with a small smirk.

“Oh ha ha,” responded Clint sarcastically. “Just keep eating. You never know when you’re last meal is going to be.”

“The same goes to you sonny boy.”

“Dad, stop arguing with Grams!” cried out Cooper.

“So now I’m the bad guy? Save the world, _again_ may I remind you, and I don’t even get a thanks. Just stop arguing with the old hag!”

Wanda’s small smile broke out into a huge grin as she watched the grandmother throw a pancake that somehow hit the talented archer in the face. One of the kids yelled out food fight and suddenly Clint was just barely keeping food from flying around the table. Nevertheless, Lila managed to cause her juice to go sailing into what would have been Wanda’s lap but instead stopped in mid air.

Both kids immediately froze, their eyes popping out of their heads as they stared at the suspended juice surrounded by red light.

“It’s so pretty,” whispered Lila.

“That rocks! You’re way better than dad!” cried out Cooper.

“Glad to know I’m appreciated,” muttered Clint with a roll of his eyes as he put the glass upright and Wanda maneuvered the juice back into the container.

For a moment, the kids stared at the glass as if it had turned to gold in front of them. Then they were suddenly arguing over who got to keep it.

“I want it!”

“It was my juice to begin with so I get to keep it!”

“But I’m older so I get to take it back!”

Clint easily interjected by plucking the glass from both of them and swallowing the entire drink in one gulp.

“Dad!/Dad!”

“I know, it was a very cool trick, but it’s still just juice,” Clint responded. “Now, let’s try to finish eating without destroying the house, kay?”

Both kids grumbled at that but did as they were told and after everyone finished, Lila and Cooper ran off to do whatever they had planned for the day. The grandmother moved into the living room, taking the paper with her, leaving Clint and Wanda alone once more.

“It can get a little wild in here from time to time. Sorry about that,” Clint said apologetically as he started to put away dishes.

“They are your family and they are very nice. No need to apologize,” replied Wanda as she automatically started helping him.

“I’m sure the kids will love to hear that. They already adore you.”

“I don’t think anyone has ever…talked about my powers like that. I always thought of them as to chaotic to be beautiful.”

Giving her an easy smile, Clint responded, “There’s beauty in chaos. At least I think so. I know I’ve heard a quote like that from someone at some point or another but either way your powers are amazing and with some more training you’ll have them under your belt in no time.”

“Do you really think so?”

“Totally. It’ll be a challenge but you’ve already proven you don’t back down from one,” Clint said with a grin.

Wanda returned the smile and then said, “May I ask about your family?”

“Of course. What do you want to know?”

“Well…just the way you operate…you fit together very well. What I remember of my parents, they fit together very well too. But you said you and your wife Laura are separated. It’s just…odd,” Wanda finished.

“Have you ever heard the term ‘opposites attract’?” asked Clint.

She nodded.

“Well Laura and I were just to much alike. I mean, I was more into practicing with my bow and arrow and she enjoyed reading on her downtime but personality wise we were just so alike that it almost got boring. Nothing different ever seemed to happen and once you find someone, there is a certain air of familiarity and simplicity that should seep between you two but for us it got to the point when we relished being with other people because it was _to_ familiar,” he responded. “If that even makes sense.”

“I suppose it does. It also explains how you could remain close friends,” said Wanda.

“Exactly! And we are close friends. A little bit of parent advice, break it off easy with a partner because just completely shoving them out of your life is harder and makes it seem like all that time you spent together was pointless. A person can change what they mean to you while still remaining important.”

Wanda nodded. “You’re very wise for someone who appears so loose and relaxed when it comes to life.”

“You gotta be. As a wise man, much wiser than me, once said, “What’s the point in being grown up if you can’t be a little childish every once in a while?””

“Who said that?”

“The Doctor.”

“Doctor who?”

Clint performed a fist bump in the air as Wanda looked on curiously, clearly having no idea what it meant.

“I can’t believe I got you to say that! No body I know ever falls for that,” Clint said triumphantly. “I’m so proud of myself I think might cry.”

His over dramatic expressions actually produced a small giggle from Wanda as she asked, “What did I do that was so funny?”

“You said the thing. Doctor Who? It’s like a running gag throughout the show.”

“Doctor Who is a show?”

“Yes, only the greatest in the world!” Clint responded with a grin. “Well next to Star Trek of course. Nothing beats that shit.”

Wanda looked on curiously, confusion still running rampant on her face.

“Alright, here’s the deal. You can move in permanently if you just allow me to introduce you to some pop culture,” said Clint.

Wanda let out a small chuckle in response. “I asked for a week. Not forever.”

“True but the offer is certainly open,” Clint replied with a pointed look.

“How about this? I will let you show me whatever as long as a) you don’t argue if I don’t like it and b) I am able to call upon you if I’m ever in need.”

“That’s it? I thought you were going to ask for something impossible like a million dollars or something. Of course I can do that kid. And my door is officially always open to you,” Clint said with a grin.

“Thank you. Is there anything I can do to help now? You are giving my brother and me room and food free of charge. If I can help with anything I will gladly do so,” she said.

“Let’s see…we sure as hell have enough wood chopped. Uh, Tony never did get around with looking at the tractor. You good with machinery at all?”

“A little…” Wanda said hesitantly.

“Well the damn thing can’t possibly get any worse so give it a try if you feel like it,” said Clint. “I mean, you obviously don’t have to but I have some work I have to do and it’ll keep you busy. Of course, I have books for that and I’m sure the kids would love to show you one of their favorite movies or something. Or you might just want to stay with Pietro. I don’t know. Just uh…do whatever you want. Yeah.”

“I’ll work on the tractor Clint. It should prove interesting and I’ll try to not mess it up anymore,” Wanda replied with a soft grin.

“Girl, if you somehow made that blasted thing worse then _that_ would be a real miracle.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know there's not a lot of Pietro despite this is Clint/Pietro but don't worry! It's coming! Thanks again to everyone. You guys are wonderful for your support.

Wanda messed around with the tractor for the next two days. She found that there was almost a trace left behind, like a forgotten memory, that she could follow with her powers. Though she knew that with any machine there was a specific way it had to be to work, her powers made it so that she could almost feel the correct balance that everything needed.

On her third day staying at the farm, she took a break from messing with the machine. It was possible that she could finished the project in seconds but she was curious what else she could learn from her experience. Instead, she was now learning how to play Monopoly.

The entire family sat at the table with their stacks of money and property. Cooper was just then explaining what happened when a person landed on the go to jail space when Wanda heard it.

She reacted immediately and was a bit surprised that Clint did the same as they both jumped up from the table at the same time. Then they were rushing up the stairs and into the guest bedroom.

Pietro was curled up on his side, hugging his stomach. The scream that he’d let out earlier had trickled down to a whimper.

“I’m here! I’m here Pietro!” Wanda said hurriedly as she knelt beside him. “What hurts? Tell me.”

He whimpered again and curled in tighter without answering, his cheeks flushed.

Stepping forward, Clint checked Pietro’s temperature. “He’s burning up. We should—”

“It’s not a fever,” Wanda interrupted. “Not like…not a physical one. Oh god this is all my fault I—”

Grabbing her and giving her a slight shake, Clint said, “Stop saying that, okay? Like I’ve said before it doesn’t matter who’s at fault or not. What matters is what you do afterwards. Your brother is in pain so try to help him.”

Biting her bottom lip, she extended her hand, softly running it through Pietro’s hair as the touch strengthened the connection.

“He’s not dying,” she finally said. “He’s…he’s still healing. I didn’t realize it before…” Trailing off, red light extended from Wanda’s hand, slowly going over her brother who slowly eased the tension in his body until he finally appeared asleep once more.

“You didn’t realize what?” asked Clint.

“When I brought him back it wasn’t done and over with just because I got him breathing again. The fever wasn’t physical exactly…It was caused by a bug, yes, but the bug was death.”

“Okay, let’s step back from philosophically creepy and try to talk in laymen terms. Explain that to me again,” Clint replied.

“Think of death as the…as the virus. And myself as the cure! Like with medicine it did not work immediately but it was getting there. But when he woke up it was like a relapse. His awareness came sooner than it should have as he is alive but not at the same time. The fever was my powers trying to accelerate the process when he came to.”

 

“So you’re still…fixing him. Without realizing it.”

“My powers are.” She let out a disgruntled noise as she shook her head. “I should have realized it.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over this. This is all new and there’s no way you could have known. He’s alright now, right?”

Wanda nodded. “As far as I can tell. I think…I think I’m going to stay with him for a while.”

“Ya need anything?”

“Um no…well no I’m fine,” Wanda finished softly.

“Just call if you need me.”

Clint headed back down to calm the kids and inform them that Wanda wouldn’t be joining them again for a while. Though the kids were upset, they quickly became distracted with the game again. For the next two days, Wanda focused more on staying with Pietro but on the fifth day, she came to talk to Clint.

“I need to go back.”

“Already?” asked Clint. “You still have two more days until a week.”

“I know but…as much as I want to stay with my brother I need to help my people. From what I can tell, me simply staying here isn’t going to change anything. All I am doing is waiting where back in Sokovia I could be doing some real good.”

“What if distance has a negative effect on your brother’s condition?” asked Clint.

“Then get in contact with me and I will come back but otherwise I can help the others.”

Looking at her curiously, Clint asked, “And how exactly would I get in touch with you?”

“Uh…” Wanda stopped, clearly not having an answer.

However, Clint had a solution. “Here, hold on a sec,” he replied as he headed into the kitchen and opened up a drawer. Pulling out a cellphone, he said, “It’s yours. I already have this homes number put in along with a few others that could be useful to you.”

“But why have so many phones?”

“I was a spy and assassin for SHIELD before I joined the Avengers. I still have a lot of precautions in place thanks to that and I know how to make sure something is off the grid if needed,” Clint replied. “But if his condition worsens, I’ll be able to call you, or if he wakens.”

“And I can keep this?”

“Free of charge,” replied Clint. “But at least stick round until lunch. Give the kids a proper good bye and all.”

“That’s fine with me,” Wanda replied with a smile.

Doing just that, the kids whined and whined about not wanting her to leave but Clint eventually convinced them that it was really important Avengers work which eased their minds. Silvia gave her good byes as well before Clint got the final hug and double checked with her that she had everything she needed. Immediately once she left, Clint headed back upstairs and stayed with Pietro. He watched the boy’s even breaths and checked for any sign that something was going wrong.

However, after nearly an hour had passed, still nothing had changed. Nevertheless, distance could still be an issue and Wanda had said she wouldn’t meet up with the Avengers until nearly twenty-four hours later so Clint stayed.

He took a bathroom break and then even went down to fix the kids dinner. Not wanting to abandon Lila or Cooper, he stayed and ate with them though even the youngest could tell that he wasn’t fully concentrating on the conversation. After swiftly cleaning up, leaving most of the dishes to be done at a later hour, Clint grabbed a book and went back to the room to look over the kid.

Usually late nights like what was beginning were accompanied by a kid with a nightmare or a live battle going around him. Either way, adrenaline was pumping through him, helping to push his ability to function without sleep even farther. What was odd though was that Clint could barely concentrate on the book he had because of the adrenaline pumping through his veins.

Which, once again was odd, cause it meant the situation was really worrying him. He could of course pass it off as the fact that if something did go wrong there was nothing he could do but it was ultimately deeper than that. He still felt guilty for the kid’s death despite the fact that the kid had known what he was getting himself into. He’d even volunteered for Strucker’s damn experiments!

Yet a horrible, gut wrenching feeling twisted inside Clint like he was a newbie at this and didn’t understand the stakes that came with a war.

Maybe it was because of Pietro’s age. Clint had seen younger die in battle but he usually hadn’t fought them and fought with them within a short time span. And there had been that odd banter between them to. It was all the damn kids fault for starting it with his cocky little “You didn’t see that coming?” in his damn accent with his head cocked to the side and that confident walk before speeding off again. Yeah, that definitely didn’t help the guilt that he crawled inside him.

And there was of course the other jokes and stupid remarks they’d made between each other yet the fact that Clint just had to one-up the kid and once again respond with the first words he’d heard from Pietro. That just…well it didn’t help. It made it even worse that he had said it just before he’d fallen to the floor. That had been like an extra round had just been fired for Clint.

Sitting there, monitoring the ins and outs of his breathing, Clint was able to truly think of this, something he hadn’t taken the chance to do yet. Ultimately, he decided that it was the short timeframe in which they knew each other, the way the alliances had changed in that time, the cockiness, and the age that had Clint feeling retched and now led to the antsy anticipation of what would happen to the kid.

Hell, it sucked.

Hours passed, he left to tuck the kids in bed, and then came back to watch Pietro again. Night moved by and soon the sun was coming up right when a call came in.

“I am guessing he is alright since you didn’t call,” Wanda said on the other end, not bothering with a hello. “Has there been any change at all?”

“Nope,” Clint sighed as he rubbed his eyes tiredly. “Everything is fine. You back with the Avengers yet or…”

“I am. I talked briefly with them and got an overview of what they have accomplished so far.”

“Have you told any of them?”

“No. Like I said before, I can’t trust them yet.”

“Understandable. Just be careful and goodluck. I’ll call you later today just to give you an update on your brother, even if nothing has changed.”

“Thank you Clint. That is very kind of you,” murmured Wanda. “I have to get going but once again…thank you for everything you’ve done. Tell the children I say hi.”

“I will. They’ll love that you thought of them. Good luck,” Clint replied.

“The same goes to you.”

The call ended and Clint let out a tired sigh as he stretched, releasing the stiffness in his joints. Around that time, a knock came from the door and Silvia came in.

“The kids are wanting breakfast.”

“They’re up already?”

“I think they were hoping Wanda would be back but either way they’re hungry now.  Any news?” asked Silvia as she walked over and handed Clint a cup of coffee.

“Yeah, Wanda’s back with the team. As far as I can tell, everything is okay here but if he relapses again…there’s just nothing I can do but get in contact with Wanda and hope she gets here quick enough.”

“Alright.”

“What do you mean alright?” pouted Clint as he gave Silvia a confused look.

She sighed in response and put her cup down on the side table as she gave him a pointed look. “You always worry about things that are out of your hands more than what you can accomplish. You simply have to come to terms with the fact that this boy’s recovery isn’t anything you can help with.”

“I know it’s just…oh never mind. I suppose you’re right. I guess I should worry about things I can fix. Like the gremlins being hungry,” Clint responded with a small smirk. “Still, I don’t want to just leave him in case something does happen.”

“Don’t you still have that nanny monitor from when Lila was little? Put that in here so even if you’re outside or gone you can know if something is up,” replied Silvia.

“That’s…actually a pretty good idea. Thanks.”

“I know. It’s almost as if I had a brain.”

Clint rolled his and chuckled at his ex-mother-in-law’s expression. “I’ll grab that and then feed my starving kids. By the way, thanks for the coffee.”

Smiling, Silvia raised hers in a small salute to Clint before leaving the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Clint checked in about three times a day on Pietro but nothing seemed to change. On the third day after Wanda had left, Clint was out grocery shopping. He’d just finished putting all items back in his truck when he heard over the nanny radio, “ _Jebi_.”

Immediately Clint was throwing the door shut and slamming on the gas. A few groans and grumbles of irritation sounded on the other end but nothing else was said. When he got to his house, he slammed on the breaks and jumped out, the car still running as he rushed inside and upstairs.

As he burst into the room, he remembered he’d need to call Wanda and had just pulled out his phone when he heard, “What the hell?”

Clint looked up and saw that Pietro’s eyes were open and looking at him, confusion mixed with pain. Nevertheless he slowly sat up though Clint quickly tried to stop him.

“Hey! You shouldn’t be moving so soon you should—”

In a fast pace, words and sentences running together, he asked, “What do you mean? What is going on? Where is my sister? Where is Ultron? What happened—?”

“Woah, you have to slow down kid!”

Pietro gave him an annoyed look despite the pain. “You really just said that?”

“Oh hush so I can explain everything alright? First off, you don’t remember anything? You don’t remember momentarily coming to and screaming? The morgue? Saving…me?”

“What are you even on about? The last thing I remember is—” Pietro suddenly stopped himself. “Wait, saving you? During the battle? Are you serious?”

“Glad to know I’m loved. And I’m not making this up. You got me and a kid out of the way of a stream of bullets and died because of it,” Clint responded. “You’re sister changed reality though. Made it so you never got shot.”

“She brought me back to life?” asked Pietro, eyes wide and unsure.

“Technically no but for the sake of right now we’ll just say yes. The point is you died and now you’re back.”

“But why am I here? Where’s my sister!? What happened at—”

“Just stop for a second and let me explain!” stressed Clint. “The war with Ultron was won but like I said, you died. After your sister brought you back she needed some place for you to heal and finally wake up. Wanda didn’t trust staying with the Avengers so she brought you here and—”

“But where is here? Where is my sister?”

“Will you just stop interrupting me!? Christ, just listen. You’re in America on a farm. My farm and my family’s. Wanda wanted to wait for you to wake up but she wanted to help Sokovia as well so she went back to the Avengers. And honestly that’s about all I have for you.”

“If she doesn’t trust the Avengers, why would she go back to them?” asked Pietro warily.

Clint shrugged. “As far as I can tell she just really wants to help her people. And it’s not that she doesn’t trust them, she just doesn’t trust them with this specific kind of information. I mean, the ability to change reality? As much as I hate saying it people would almost immediately try to exploit someone like that, friend or not.”

“Then I need to be with her! She could be in danger—”

“The only thing that would put her in danger is you just popping up. Then there would be no way around the fact that she brought you back. And besides, you’re obviously not completely okay so it’s not a good idea to go running across the sea, even if you could do it,” Clint muttered. He could tell his words pissed Pietro off but at least it seemed the logic behind it was seeping through.

“Can I at least talk to her?” Pietro finally asked.

“Yeah, I was just getting ready to call her. And don’t think of this as like a prison or anything. You’re just staying here until you heal up some and until Wanda feels like it’s safe telling the other Avengers what happened.” As the phone rang, Clint added, “Got any other questions I might be able to answer?”

Looking away, the frown still on his face, Pietro looked back up and asked, “Why am I wearing plaid?”

“That’s your question! You’re killing me here,” muttered Clint though he cut himself off as he said excitedly, “Wanda! You alright?” He could hear beeping, some people shouting, and a couple of groans in the background. “What’s that noise?”

“A hospital. I have been helping to clear up debris but I have to take occasional breaks from using my powers so I help out at the hospital during those times. Why are you calling?”

“Welp, I have someone here that wants to talk to you,” Clint easily replied.

“Wait! He’s awake? How does he look?” asked Wanda.

“Mostly like shit. But cute and conscious shit.”

Pietro sent daggers at Clint though he didn’t say anything as Wanda laughed on the other end. “But mostly good, right? Is he in pain?”

“Somewhat yeah but it seems manageable. Here, I’ll let you talk to him,” Clint replied and then handed it over to Pietro who still looked pissed.

Nevertheless, his face lit up upon hearing Wanda’s voice.

“Are you alright!? What has happened in Sokovia? Can we trust—” Pietro suddenly cut off as he listened to whatever his sister was saying. “And you’re sure?”

More silence from Pietro and Clint decided to grab some of the empty cups that he’d left from long and odd hours watching over the kid.

Suddenly Pietro perked up though and he cried out, “You can’t possibly—I’m older than you!” He fumed for a moment and then he muttered, “Are you being honest with me?”

Clint assumed Wanda said yes because Pietro sighed and looked down. “Fine. I’ll do it. But do I have to stay here? Really? Fine. Just make sure you call everyday! I’m not sure I can handle staying here to long.”

Clint rolled his eyes at that but waited until the siblings said their goodbyes. He was surprised Wanda wanted to talk to him again but took the phone back from Pietro.

“Yes?”

“I doubt he would mention it but he is not to use his powers, understand? I think he will listen to me but he may not and I want to make sure he’s perfectly alright before exerting himself.”

“I’ll certainly try my best. Everything okay on your end? Need me to go over and yell at Stark or something?”

“Everything is fine, but thank you. Even Mr. Stark seems to behaving himself,” Wanda replied. “I will call you later. And remember to keep an eye on my brother.”

“I will. Goodbye.”

“Bye.”

Clint hung up and then turned to Pietro. “So, looks like I’m babysitting you.”

“Yeah, if you could catch me old man.”

“Well from my understanding you aren’t allowed to use your powers so that shouldn’t be to hard,” Clint replied with a grin. “Even for an old man.” His face turned stern though as he quickly added, “But seriously. I probably couldn’t stop you if you really wanted to but I’d listen to your sister. She may not be an expert in bringing people back but she knows more than both of us put together.”

“Very true,” muttered Pietro as he looked away with another deepening frown.

Clint noticed that it was rather odd as even in the worst situations Pietro had kept that sarcastic look and smart ass smirk. Maybe it was because it felt like he had actual time now instead of trying to enjoy every moment like it was his last. Or perhaps Clint just really got underneath the kid’s skin. It was hard to say.

“Listen, you hungry? I just grabbed some groceries and we have really healthy foods and shit foods and—”

“I feel kind of sick.”

“Wait! You didn’t lie about how you felt just so your sister wouldn’t—”

“I just don’t want to eat,” Pietro grumbled. “I am no worse off than with any other injury.”

“Alright! What about drinking though? At least some water would probably be good for you.”

When Pietro nodded, Clint was a bit shocked but pleased that the kid was at least willing to do that. Nevertheless, he was even more surprised when Pietro followed him downstairs instead of staying in the room. He suspected it was some sort of test, to see if he really was allowed free range of the place.

Glancing at Pietro, Clint noticed the slower pace and the careful precision at which he moved, as if every motion physically pained him. Nevertheless, he kept going and didn’t voice any problems.

Clint also noted it was odd watching the kid walk around in his cloths. The plaid really wasn’t his style and the cloths were two big in some places and to small in others. Mostly it reminded Clint of a kid in his older sibling’s cloths and it would have been cute if it wasn’t for the permanent scowl.

Putting away the cups from the room, Clint got out a new one, filled it with water, and handed it over to Pietro.

“So, I remember you smiling a lot more on the battlefield,” Clint said, deciding that was a better opening than ‘How’s the weather been?’

“Your face is more enjoyable in its fleeting moments.”

Clint gawked at the kid for a second before bursting out laughing which actually earned him a bit of a smirk. Shaking his head, Clint looked for something for himself to drink as he asked, “Are you always this much of a shit to?”

“Only to people who don’t bore me,” Pietro responded. Despite looking more relaxed standing, he moved to a chair to help ease the pain.

“Glad to know I’m interesting to some people. The kids seem to like Aunt Nat better, though they’ve taken quite a liking to Wanda.”

Pietro seemed surprised by that statement and finally looked around at all the hints that said a family lived there. He spotted a photo and looked on curiously. “So you have children?”

“Two of the little rascals.”

“Is it only you three?” Pietro asked curiously.

“Us and their grandmother. My ex-wife technically lives here to but she has a job that requires a lot of away time,” Clint responded. “Want some more water?”

“I should probably wait a bit. Just in case.”

“Good call though I feel like you’re more the type to just rush into things.”

Pietro rolled his eyes at that. “I’m truthfully trying to think more like my sister at the moment. She is not certain what could or could not have a negative effect on me at the moment. As much as I hate saying it, caution seems to be the best option.”

“Definitely true. Still, you’re going to have to eat at some point. What’s your favorite type of meal?” asked Clint.

He expected an immediate response but instead Pietro’s face only seemed to sour. For a moment, there was only silence and then with a sudden burst of anger a spiel of what Clint assumed to be Serbian words came flowing out of the kid’s mouth.

“Woah! I’m sorry for whatever I said but I can’t—”

“Do you really think I or my sister had time to decide what foods were our favorites when we were starving on the street at ten? When we scavenged for whatever we could find? When we decided to be Strucker’s test subjects!?”

Completely taken aback, Clint tried to back pedal. “Jesus! I’m sorry. I didn’t intend it to sound like that alright?”

“Of course you didn’t. Just as Mr. Stark didn’t intend for one of his weapons to land in our home.”

The comment shouldn’t have been shocking but it was. Perhaps that was because of how much more at ease and logical Wanda seemed to be. Pietro on the other hand was obviously more quick to act first than to think things through. And granted, it was completely possible Pietro hadn’t truly forgiven the Avengers like his sister had and if that was true, there was nothing Clint could do to improve the situation. Instead, he watched Pietro get up and turn. It was obvious he was just barely keeping himself from using his powers to get away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally we have Pietro in the story! Thank you so much for all comments, kudos, and bookmarks. It really makes my day that people are enjoying this. Thanks as always!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thank you and I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the last!

When Pietro walked back into his room, he was a bit shocked that he’d done so. He’d meant to go outside, meant to have a tantrum, maybe run away, but instead he continued to feel the pain throughout his body and lay on the bed. Curling up on his side, he thought about what he had said.

He knew that if Wanda had been there she would have blown up in his face. Not the bird man’s face, the one his sister called Clint, but _his_. What he had said certainly wasn’t _untrue_. Honestly he probably could have gone on, ranting about their hardships and most likely would have if walking down the damn stairs hadn’t taken so much energy out of him.

Nevertheless, now that Pietro was curled up on his side with absolute quiet around him, he put into practice what he’d done just moments ago and thought like his sister.

Even if Wanda had felt the same way he had, she would have at the very least blown up in a more controlled and collected manner and at the very most simply ignored the comment. Pietro had more control over his powers but Wanda defiantly had more control over her emotions.

But strangely enough, Pietro had not blown up out of anger or the true belief that Clint had meant wrong. He’d blown up over shock. Shock over the fact that someone who had been a hated enemy last week was helping them willingly. Shock over how his sister truly seemed to trust Clint. Shock because he never thought he’d have such a mundane question thrown at him again.

Ironically, Pietro had been extremely pleased at the question. It seemed that after the age of ten, any question about his well being that didn’t contain an ulterior motive was from his sister and even then few if any were simply out of courtesy. Clint had wanted to make Pietro’s stay easier, more enjoyable, he’d obviously already done a lot for himself and his sister, yet Pietro had returned the kindness with idiotic outrage.

Outrage that stemmed from the fact that he _wanted_ to hate Clint. Pietro wanted to hate the bird man, the archer, the powerless Avenger, _Hawkeye_ (which was a stupid name in Pietro’s mind) because hating him was honestly easier than liking him. Hatred involved one emotion, anger and its different variations and levels. It was simple, easy to manage, but if he outwardly admitted to liking the Avenger…

That simply brought every emotion from under the sun forward and in the long run would most likely make the stay miserable until he was begging Wanda to let him leave. Because Pietro had enjoyed messing with Clint, even when he thought the man could die before they met again. He’d been pleased when Clint had gotten the better of him.

But above all Pietro had felt pride that he had saved Clint. Even if he couldn’t remember it, even if he didn’t have all the details yet, the action left Pietro happier than when he was simply messing with the man. It made him feel like a real equal next to him, made him happy, but he had yelled at Clint instead of making peace.

Pietro didn’t want to like the old man because he didn’t like people. He liked his sister and that was about it and for a while, that was all he needed. Other than that it had been forever since he’d really enjoyed another human.

Yes, hating Clint would be easier but the longer that Pietro lay there and thought it all over, the more guilt he felt for what he had said. The hurt had been clear in the man’s eyes and Pietro had caused _him_ to feel guilty.

Now Pietro only felt worse and he thought about going downstairs to apologize but his pride got in the way so instead he sulked and remained curled up. Time slowly passed as marked by the clock on the wall until around four he heard noise from downstairs. The kids, Pietro guessed. He was curious what they looked like when compared with the bird man, if they had his eyes and noise or the same color of hair. But instead he waited and about an hour later, the door opened.

His eyes wondered to the figure there, Clint, and watched him walk over as he held out a phone. His face was carefully neutral as he said, “It’s your sister.”

Taking it, Pietro watched Clint leave the room, closing the door behind him, before finally answering. “Hi sis, what—”

“Why would you say that!? Pietro, I have never been more disappointed than right at this moment. That was totally uncalled for!”

Yep, there it was.

“I know I messed up and—”

“Oh, you messed up! I wouldn’t care if you were twelve _years_ older than me. At the moment you are acting like you are five and—wait. Were you trying to apologize?” Wanda asked.

“I have thought it over and yes. I should be apologizing—”

“Then why are you doing it to me and not Clint? The man feels terrible Pietro! I had to reassure him that he hadn’t don’t anything wrong!”

“He is not five either. He can take care—”

“I know he can take care of himself but he is still a human being,” Wanda replied, voice powerful and forceful. “Human beings can get hurt and you hurt him. Now go down there and apologize!”

“Thanks for making me feel even guiltier,” muttered Pietro though he sat up anyways.

“Well I’m glad. You should feel guilty,” grumbled Wanda. “If you pull a stunt like this again I will come down and kick your ass myself. Remember that.”

“Dually noted sis,” Pietro replied. “I’ll apologize now.”

“Good and later you will explain yourself to me because I would very much like to know why you would be so rude. “

“If you keep talking this much then the old man will already be asleep before I can apologize,” Pietro teased.

“You wish. Now go make amends.”

Pietro promised he would and then hung up, taking a couple of moments to steel himself against whatever Clint would say. He took a deep breath and stood up. Carefully, he made it out of the room and down the stairs, the noise slowly growing louder and clearer. He could distinguish between the old man’s voice, two kids, and a woman. The noise was coming from the kitchen and he quickly peeked his head around the corner to see what was going on.

Clint and his kids were making something and an elderly woman, probably a grandmother, was sitting at the counter. They talked in friendly, upbeat tones as they helped and hassled each other. Pietro couldn’t help but take a moment to simply admire the way they so easily moved together, memories of his younger life coming forward. Of course, he could easily pick out a million differences between his early family life and the one before him yet it was still comforting after being away from a family setting for so long.

Finally, Clint happened to turn around, looking for something, and saw Pietro. He froze up, unsure of whether to disclose his presence to the kids, but Pietro quickly gestured for him to come over. Clint said a couple of words to the kids and the woman before hurrying over and into the living room, away from the curious glances.

“I wanted to apologize for my behavior,” Pietro got out before Clint could say anything. “It was…uncalled for.”

“Are you sure? I didn’t mean to make you angry—”

“You didn’t. I was looking for something to be angry at.”

“But why?”

“Because despite being an asshole you are being really nice to my sister and me and I needed some way to make you out as a bastard.”

At first shocked by the words, Clint quickly replied, “Well you’re now being surprisingly polite right now for a little shit.” Still, there was no heat behind the words and they even caused a smirk to grow on Pietro’s face as Clint added, “Seriously though, are you sure I didn’t offend you because just tell me and I’ll be careful saying what—”

“You didn’t. There is nothing to be worried about,” Pietro reassured.

“Oh. Oh, good then, I guess. Yes, good. Uh, listen we’re making dinner right now if you’d like to help out or just sit and talk—”

“I never learned how to cook because I didn’t have a childhood!”

“Christ I’m sorry I didn’t mean—”

“I know,” Pietro replied with a devilish grin. “It was a joke.”

“Are you serious!? Holy shit don’t do that kid! You’re poker face is as good as Nat’s. I can’t tell whether you’re being serious or not,” muttered Clint though his face looked utterly relieved. “But no hard feelings? We’re all good?”

“Yes,” Pietro sighed. “We are good.”

“Right, well uh…how are you feeling?”

“Not any worse. Perhaps a bit better.”

“That’s good then. But back to the other question. Would you like to join my family? We’re making lasagna,” Clint said.

“I wouldn’t mind that.”

“Cool, let me introduce you to the kids then,” replied Clint and he quickly led Pietro back towards the kitchen. Feet sounded as the kids probably ran back to their places after spying on them but Clint only acknowledge it with a roll of his eyes. “Right, Cooper, Lila, this is Pietro. Pietro, these are my kids.”

Clint watched as Pietro allowed a soft smile to appear on his face as he said, “It is very nice to meet you.”

“You have the same accent as Wanda!” Cooper said excitedly.

“Well they are twins,” muttered Clint with an amused look.

“I like your hair,” Lila murmured as she looked up with a smile, her fingers twitching ever so slightly as she clearly wanted to touch it.

Before Pietro could respond to this or the kids could give any more comments though, a grumble came from the woman.

“And what about me, my dear ex-son-in-law?”

“Oh of course! How could I forget? Hag, this is Wanda’s twin brother Pietro. Pietro, this is the hag.”

“Dad!” whined Cooper. “Don’t call Grams that!”

Pietro snorted in response as he took the grandmother’s outstretched hand.

“Just so you know hon, I do have a name if you’d rather not call me hag or Grams,” she said with a smirk. “It’s Silvia.”

“It is nice to meet you,” Pietro responded with a surprisingly polite and respectful voice.

Giving Clint a pointed look, Silvia said, “Ah, he’s a charmer.”

“Only to the good looking ones.”

Clint made a gagging noise as he turned back to cooking. Pietro carefully sat down next to Silvia, standing up having taken to much energy out of him.

“Dad said you could go fast. Can you show us?” asked Cooper.

“Not now! Remember he’s still healing. Come and help with dinner for now,” Clint replied, saving Pietro from answering.

In response, the kids sadly walked away but they quickly went back to making dinner as Pietro slowly integrated himself into the discussions. A few times he even helped with part of the food making process though it was clear that he was nowhere near the world’s best cook. After they ate, the kids put up their dishes and then ran off to play with something as Silvia slowly went to the living room.

Pietro stayed however and said, “You have a very nice family.”

“Well they certainly love you as much as your sister though with her it was more because of her ‘sparkly red magic’ and with you it’s more charms,” Clint said with a chuckle. “But yeah, the kids defiantly like you and so does the old hag which is always a plus.”

“I do not know why you call her that. She can’t be any older than you old man.”

Snorting in response, Clint continued to clean as Pietro watched. Silence washed over both and it would have seemed that both had lost any way to continue their conversation when Pietro suddenly shouted, “Kolachky!”

The word had come out loud and hurried, as if Pietro had been raising with himself to say it before he backed out.

Clint only looked on with confusion and having no idea where this was going. “What?”

“It’s not really a dish, just a pastry, but my mother use to make them and…well…it is my favorite food,” Pietro responded.

Now understanding why Pietro had so suddenly said it, Clint grinned and said, “Welp, I have no idea how to make that but that’s what the internet is for I suppose. I’ll go into town the day after tomorrow and we can make them. Sound good to you?”

“Uh…yes! Actually…yes that would be…wonderful,” murmured Pietro, shocked but pleased. “Thank you.”

“Anytime kid.”


	6. Chapter 6

Like beforehand, Wanda called regularly but now she looked forward to those calls and the ability to talk to her brother. This was the first time they’d been separated for an extended period and though it was odd, it wasn’t anywhere near as painful or confusing as she thought it would be. In actuality, it had been the fact that Pietro had been stuck between life and death that had caused all the trouble and turmoil inside her but now that he seemed fine, that had washed away with only a small amount of caution and worry.

Besides getting to talk to Pietro, she also spoke plenty with Clint. She enjoyed their plain and simple talks but also the stories of trickery that he now wove to her about Pietro. Her brother often complained of the old man being a fun killer though that was far from the truth, Clint often pulling his own pranks and tricks on Pietro. Wanda was sure that if her brother could use his powers there would be even more havoc but at least for the moment the two seemed to be on an even playing field.

And that was another thing. She had heard Pietro’s explanation for why he’d initially been so rude to Clint and at the time she had called him an idiot and waved the situation away. Afterwards she had thought it over again and an interesting fact was suddenly brought to light. Wanda didn’t show it to Pietro, who probably wasn’t aware of it yet, or to Clint but it certainly gave ideas. Once she was back with her twin and Clint, the right push could certainly make things interesting.

There were also the kids that she regularly talked to now that she didn’t feel so dark and burdened. Even though they mentioned missing seeing her ‘magic’, they also got a kick out of just saying hi and talking which pleased Wanda to no end. She had never had any child truly look up to her and she had already grown attached to Clint’s which she didn’t mind at all.

Nevertheless, besides the regular calls, most of Wanda’s days were spent working. Her powers allowed her to hold sections of buildings in place so that a space could be repaired and she could also pulverize certain types of debris to quicken the recycling process of materials. Besides that Wanda also made it easier to save those that had been trapped under rubble and in buildings. Despite the Avengers saving everyone on the floating section of the city, those left behind had not been so lucky.

Wanda was not always able to help on this front though as her powers did require time to recover and strengthen once more. In those instances she helped those wounded and/or homeless. It was on a much smaller scale yet as hours and soon days passed, she could see that she was making a difference. Sometimes Wanda would simply move from set up to set up, temporary buildings built to house almost every resident as practically the whole city went under reconstruction, and other times she’d stay in one area for hours due to being short of hand. Either way, she felt useful and that was what was important.

It was also interesting for her to see how the team worked. Though honestly, it was odd calling the Avengers a team. Orders were given and there were protocols but many of them were fudged or completely ignored. They didn’t move like a well oiled machine and there weren’t concrete positions that made everyone’s job easier. Wanda ultimately decided that they acted more like a family. Depending on the situation, the person who got the parental role changed and there was plenty of arguing and bumps. Still, it worked, people made up with each other, and overall everyone seemed at ease and familiar with how everyone worked.

Excluding Clint, Wanda had decided she liked Thor the best. She didn’t believe the god trusted her yet, but he was the most open and honest with her, something that was greatly appreciated. He was also easy to talk to as even if Wanda wasn’t sure what to say or how to start or continue a conversation, Thor was always happy to supply the words.

Captain America, or just Steve as she soon learned to call him, was extremely admirable. Wanda found that times with the Captain always came away with something accomplished or some point made across except with the presences of Mr. Stark. Stark seemed to be the only one able to make the Captain lose concentration and excelled with pulling pranks. Wanda was fairly certain Pietro would like him.

Though some resentment was still there and she certainly didn’t trust the man, Wanda soon understood why he had done what he had. Tony Stark was a good man, that was a fact, but he either had a terrible conscious or none at all. It was easy to tell how he could do a wrong thing because of his utter belief to do right.

Black Widow was an interesting woman to interact with. Wanda felt that she trusted her least yet she seemed to understand Wanda more so than the others. Though she had yet to say anything of personal value, Wanda was almost positive that there was a personal connection with her. Something that Widow was able to sympathize with but which she didn’t voice.

Then there was the Hulk. His human form, Bruce Banner, though certainly more docile, could easily hold a grudge as much as the green giant. For the most part he avoided her which wasn’t to hard when she was in the field. Dr. Banner had so far kept the thing inside. It was when Wanda was helping with the homeless and hurt that she encountered him the most. Both barely interacted unless necessary and they talked even less. Still, with every look the doctor seemed to give Wanda, there seemed to be a little less malice.

But it was the newest Avenger that was the most interesting. Though his membership hadn’t been officially given, if you even had to do that, he had only been an Avenger for a few more hours than Wanda herself.

And despite his vast array of knowledge and rather spontaneous wisdom, he was actually only a few weeks old now.

But despite her interest in the android, Vision had almost worked without any sign of stopping. Unlike the other Avengers, once the things that needed immediate attention were laid to rest, they took it slower, made jokes, made sure to socialize and obviously rest. The Vision never joined in any form of festivity though and the few times that he was not working, he often would stand in one spot, slowly turning back and forth, as if unsure of what to do next.

It wasn’t until the third day after her brother had woken up that she finally got the chance to speak to the Vision again.

On the Helicarrier, all the Avengers had their own rooms and Wanda had been given her own as well. She had been getting ready to leave after waking up and getting dressed when she sensed someone on the other side. They hadn’t moved, had not knocked, yet Wanda could tell they were there. She waited a moment longer, curious of who it could be and what they might want but when nothing else occurred, she finally opened the door only to see no one there. Nevertheless, she knew she hadn’t been wrong and ended up leaving the Helicarrier with a vague sense that it had been Vision.

While working that day, she was interrupted by having that odd feeling of someone being near. This time she caught sight of the Vision who was standing off to the side. It was one of the rare moments in which he was not working but instead of looking around rather aimlessly, his gaze rested intently on Wanda. She paused her work to combat his stare.

He did not jump at his her sudden knowledge of his presence, nor did he appear ashamed or embarrassed at being caught. Instead, he continued to stare and Wanda did the same before after several minutes, the Vision made his way to her. He floated down to the level ground that she stood on and then walked the rest of the way until he stood right beside her.

“Was I bothering you?” The question came out mainly curious with only a twinge of uncertainty. “I hope I was not.”

“No, I did not mind though I must ask if it was you outside my room this morning,” Wanda replied.

“It was. That is, I was there. I thought of knocking but I…I did not believe it was the right time to talk,” said the Vision.

“Is there something we need to talk about?”

“Yes and I would have talked to you sooner but I was trying to be…” Vision paused for a second, trying to find the word. “I was trying to be…considerate.”

The way he blinked, his hesitation with the word as if he wasn’t sure if it was the right one to use. Wanda realized he was being sweet.

“Thank you. You certainly succeeded,” Wanda replied which earned her a smile from the android. “Also, I never did say thank you for saving me. I was ready to die and you…you allowed me to take another chance at life.”

“I suppose I did offer that chance, but I am glad that you decided to take it. But, and I hope I have waited long enough, but I would like to talk to you about your brother.”

Wanda involuntarily took a step back. The Vision’s  voice, his posture, none of it suggested a threat yet her automatic distrust for people caused her to become immediately wary. “Why? You barely knew him.”

“That is true. But he must have been not just a great brother but an exceptional human to invoke enough emotion in you to allow you to bring him back,” replied Vision. When it looked like Wanda was going to take another step back, when her hands started to rise in a defensive posture, Vision quickly moved back. “I did not approach you earlier because I did not want this to happen.”

“Why approach me at all?” Wanda questioned warily.

“Because I would like to help. I realize you may not want that but I could feel the rawness of your power. I can tell that you’ve never done something of this nature before.”

“But that still doesn’t explain why you let me leave with my brother alive,” countered Wanda. “You could have revealed your knowledge of the situation then.”

Vision once again hesitated as he cocked his head to the side. “I do not like seeing you…cornered. When you look safe and in control, sure of yourself, you are a much more exquisite person.”

The words were odd and shocking and Wanda, though still wary, gave the Vision a rather odd look. “Are you flirting with me?”

“The definition of flirting is to behave as though attracted to or trying to attract someone, but for amusement rather than with serious intentions. I’m not quite sure what the reason behind wanting to attract someone is but I somehow know I would not do it for amusement. All I say is only with the utmost truth.”

“Then I…thank you again. But if what you say is only the truth, I need to know if you have spoken with any of the other Avengers about this,” replied Wanda.

“No, nor will I ever do so if you don’t wish it. But I do believe I can help you with your new found gift.”

“Like training.”

“Exactly. Would that be alright with you?” asked Vision carefully.

“Only if you can answer me why. Why would you want to help me? What does this arrangement do for you?”

The Vision gave a small nod of understanding and then asked, “And that is your only requirement?”

Wanda replied that it was.

“Then I am afraid I cannot answer it. To help you learn how to fully control your powers would not bring me anything and I do not think there is an accurate word as to why I want to do this. However, I think the closest word is gratitude. I enjoy watching humans but I find it difficult to interact with them without a predetermined goal in mind. I would like to imagine that spending time with you might help me in those areas.”

Taking those words in, a soft smile slowly spread across Wanda’s face. “There is something you want to get out of this,” she said with the dawning realization. “Experience and practice with your people skills.”

The Vision looked at Wanda with interest, understanding growing on his face. “Yes. I suppose you are right.”

“Then it’s a deal. When would you like to start?” asked Wanda.

Shocked but apparently pleased by her abruptness, Vision replied, “The other Avengers usually get together at around seven to talk and relax, eat dinner if needed. We can think of another time if you would like to socialize—”

“Thank you but that sounds perfect to me. We can meet where the city meets the edge of the forest. On the east side near the camp set out there for the homeless. Once we meet we can move to a more discreet location.”

Smiling, the Vision gave one last, respectful incline of his head to her. “It sounds like a plan. I will see you then.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll go back to Pietro in the next chapter but I wanted everyone to see what Wanda was up to as well. Also for those remembering that Banner immediately left after the battle with Ultron, that is what happened in the movie and no I'm not changing it just so I can have some Banner&Wanda interactions. There is a bigger picture that will eventually be explained!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time we get to look at what both Maximoffs are up to! Thank you for all your support, for those that tried it and decided it wasn't for them, for those waiting for the end so they can binge it, and for those keeping up with each chapter. Thank you!

Clint had to admit that life was pretty great now that he had settled things with Pietro. Granted, the little shit was one of the biggest tricksters that Clint had ever met but that simply allowed Clint to bust out his own skills. Everything was perfect except for the strange, seemingly random moments of hearing loss. There was no pattern to when they happened, how long, or how severe they were. It was starting to get pretty annoying and Clint was pretty close to seeing a doctor.

For the moment though, he was more concentrated on Pietro’s bored expression as they stood outside on the grass in front of the house.

“Why do I have to do this?” muttered Pietro with a roll of his eyes. “I have powers. It doesn’t matter if I know hand-to-hand combat. Besides, I’d rather go back to playing Life with Cooper and Lila.”

“Hey, if you really want to do that then fine but if you get just your natural body health up then you’ll be able to put your powers to better use. Besides, what if your powers suddenly stop working or you come into contact with someone that has similar abilities to you? You’re not going to be able to just run by them and knock them down.”

“Alright, I got it old man!” Pietro growled out. “You can stop lecturing me now. Get on with it.”

Clint snorted but slowly began to take the kid through several basic movements. When it came to looking over Pietro’s fists he made a fake sobbing sound. “Oh. My. God. Have you never punched somebody?” gasped Clint as he looked at the outreached hand.

“Of course I’ve punched someone!” shouted out Pietro with an annoyed expression.

“And have you ever done it without seriously hurting yourself?”

“Well no…”

“Now you know the cause of my distress! This is pitiful! If you have your hand like this you would almost certainly break your wrist! And never hit with the smaller knuckles. They’re way more fragile and can easily break. You always hit with the first two,” Clint muttered as he adjusted Pietro’s hand. “Okay, that’s a bit better. Now hold that form and punch me.”

“Wait, are you serious?”

“I can take a punch kid. Come on. Just aim and go,” Clint replied as he held out his arms.

Pietro looked over the completely open torso, wary but finally trying to gage where to go. Hoping to impress Clint, he suddenly leapt forward in the anticipation of catching him off guard. However, before he even made contact Clint dropped his arms, moved around the punch, grabbed Pietro’s arm, and rolled him over his back until Pietro landed hard on his own.

Letting out a gasp as the wind escaped him, Pietro had to take a moment to overcome the shock before anger came through. “What the hell was that for!?” He’d wanted to come off as enraged but had mostly proven how out of breath he was.

“That, young padawan, was your first lesson,” Clint replied with a grin. He held out a hand but Pietro avoided it and clambered to his feet on his own. Shrugging, Clint continued. “You see, you think you can run right through somebody and then the fight is over. In hand to hand combat it is never that easy.”

“Couldn’t you have at least done it on a matt,” groaned Pietro.

“Yes but then you would have expected it. Now, come on and punch me this time.”

“You’re just going to flip me again!”

“Not this time. Honest! I want to see the hardest punch you can throw without your speed. Just hit me.”

This time obviously more cautious, Pietro tensed up the moment he threw the punch but it connected instead of him getting thrown through the air. Still, even though he’d made contact this time, Pietro obviously hadn’t gotten the desired effect as Clint was clearly still standing with a small smirk on his face.

“Okay, we defiantly need some work but at least you didn’t forget what I taught you,” Clint said. “Good job.”

“I didn’t even cause you to fall over,” Pietro sulked.

“So? You improved! Slowly, which yeah, it may not be your usual speed, but it’s something okay? Now I’m going to start taking you through some basic kicks and punches. Not on me but on my punching bag in the shed. Alright? After you get better at those we’ll start with some active sparring.”

Giving him a suspicious glare, Pietro asked, “And are you going to continue throwing me on the ground when it comes to that?”

“Only if you don’t pay attention. Who knows, maybe next time you’ll end up on top,” Clint responded, turning around to soon so that he missed the blush that spread across Pietro’s face. “Now come into the shed over here. Okay stand right there…and put your feet like that…alright good. That’s how you want to stand when you throw the punches but watch me throw a few jabs first.”

Pietro analyzed the movements until Clint finally took a step back and wiped at the drops of sweat on his forehead. “See exactly like that. Now your turn.”

Stepping up, Pietro mimicked Clint’s stance but before he threw the first punch he asked, “Why do you use a bow and arrow if you are so good at this?”

“I prefer distance between me and an enemy. That and I’m just used to how my bow works. It’s like an extension of my body. And besides, you can be good at multiple things but still prefer one over the other just because. Besides, it works well for me and Nat since she enjoys closer combat,” responded Clint. “But enough about that, stop stalling and punch.”

“I wasn’t stalling! You were the one rattling on,” muttered Pietro.

“Yeah yeah, whatever. Just throw it kid.”

“Don’t call me that,” Pietro growled as he went at it.

The noise of the punching bag swinging on its chain and the sound of fists against it filled the room for a moment before Clint finally put up a hand and Pietro paused in his onslaught. “Good job but I think that’s probably enough for today. Don’t want to wear you out to much.”

“Did I actually do well or are you just being polite?” Pietro asked.

“I’m being serious. This was a good first day but how about we go play Life with the kids?” Clint asked with a grin.

“Hmm, does your version include getting thrown to the ground?”

“Nope! Just a comfy, chair, some water, and a _somewhat_ fair game.”

“Then you’re on old man!”

* * *

 

Wanda saw the Vision waiting for her near the edge. He didn’t turn or acknowledge her presence however until she was finally standing next to him. In a very soft voice, he murmured, “The trees are so like buildings…and yet not.”

“What do you mean?”

Glancing at her, he carefully answered, “The trees house the inhabitants of the forest…just as the buildings house those who dwell in the city. But the buildings are supported by those that live inside them. They cannot heal on their own…not like trees.”

“So buildings are artificial trees,” responded Wanda with a small nod. “I can get behind that.”

The Vision looked at her curiously. “What exactly do you mean by that?”

“Just that I can understand what you mean. That I sort of agree even.”

“I will have to remember that phrase,” Vision replied with a small nod of his head. Looking back into the forest he asked, “Are you ready to begin training?”

“Yes. Do you have a place in mind?”

“There is a clearing not far from here. If you do not mind, I can carry you there and it will be much quicker,” The Vision offered.

Wanda had barely said that was fine when suddenly the Vision was swooping her up bridal style and rising into the air. A gasp left her as she quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and looked out at the land around them.

“Did I startle you?” Vision asked apologetically, a slight form of worry in his eyes.

“Only slightly,” replied Wanda. “Though a little warning next time would be much appreciated.”

“My apologizes. I will remember that next time,” Vision said earnestly just as they touched down again. “I truly did not mean to startle you.”

“It’s fine,” Wanda responded as she looked around. “This is a very nice clearing. I think I’ve been here before. A long…long time ago with my family. We were hiking I think.”

“I hope this is a happy recollection. I did not wish to pain you in any way.”

Wanda quickly shook her head. “No, don’t worry about it. It _is_ a happy memory, tinged with sadness perhaps but a pleasant one nonetheless. Now, you said you would help me with my powers. What will be the first lesson?”

The Vision looked around, face wrought with thought, when suddenly he picked up a small flower. It was possibly one of the few in the field yet he crushed it in his hand. He held it out until Wanda finally took it from him and finally said, “Try to change reality.”

“Wait, just like that?”

He nodded. “Make it so that it was never crushed.”

Giving a slight frown, Wanda turned her face to the crushed flower in her hand and stared intently at it, trying to consciously repeat what she had done to Pietro. However, after what felt like minute upon minute having passed, she let out a disgruntled sigh and looked back at the Vision.

“If this is your idea of teaching then you may need to take some classes yourself,” sighed Wanda as she let go of the crushed flower.

As it drifted downwards, the Vision reached out his hand until it rested in his palm once more. Curling his fingers around it, he brought it close before releasing a small smile and replying, “Not teaching, just making a point.”

“Really? Well what point would that be?”

“That your powers are strongly connected to your emotions. Your powers are at their strongest when your emotions are the most focused. When your fear is almost overpowering, when it clouds everything else, it controls your powers. When there is sorrow inside you that feels like it cannot be overcome, like with your brother, then it will be the one in power.”

“So what is your idea? Teach me how to stay afraid?”

Looking slightly amused at Wanda’s incredulous expression, Vision shook his head and responded, “Not at all. I want to help you to bring out the good memories, the ones that bring a sense of overwhelming calm about you. Though it has worked for you so far, no matter how in control you have thought yourself, your powers have been volatile and erratic.”

“You want to get rid of the chaos,” Wanda replied.

“Not quite. Your powers are naturally chaotic and I don’t think we should take that away from them. Instead, I hope to teach you to use the calm of your mind to shape your powers, to smooth them out, instead of forcing them into the forms you wish. A controlled chaos,” responded Vision.

“That’s a very poetic way of putting it.”

“You think me poetic? How so?”

“Simply the way you see the world and all that’s in it. You’re not a part of it, at least not yet, but you can still look beneath what you see and understand that a philosophical understanding can be as important as a logical. It makes what you say elegant in an otherworldly way.”

“I am glad that take enjoyment out of what I say. That you think it…pleasing. But I hope that I will not always be considered otherworldly,” Vision replied.

Her smile dropping just a bit, Wanda softly said, “As hard as it might be, you’re an android whose power and being stems from an infinity stone and you can pick up an artifact that only a god could wield beforehand. No matter what you do, people will always think of you as otherworldly.”

“I know that,” he said earnestly. “What I mean is that I hope I won’t be so otherworldly to you one day. I would like to one day stand on level ground with you. Metaphorically speaking of course.”

“Of course,” Wanda agreed as she tried to hide just how charmed she was by his words. She wished to talk more but instead she asked, “Will help me dredge up happy memories? Calmer times? Bringing out the nightmares in others has always been easy, and perhaps the same goes to me.”

“If that is what you wish, we shall begin. My mind is now open to you.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait but here it is! Chapter 8 finally! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy :)

Slightly over a week had passed and it appeared that Pietro was almost top notch again. He hadn’t reported any signs of pain and there hadn’t been any sign of a relapse either. They had just finished another training session when Clint said, “Hey, next time I think you should use your powers.”

“Really?” asked Pietro, his eyes lighting up as a devious grin came across his face. “Does Wanda think I’m ready?”

“I’ll double check with her but I don’t see any reason why not.”

“Then why not right now!?”

“Because it’s movie night,” Clint responded cheerfully.

“Wait—what?”

“Movie night! The kids voted on a throwback movie so we’re watching the Great Mouse Detective,” Clint said.

“Seriously? Why would a detective be a mouse? Why is he great? Please tell me this is animated and not live action. And what do you mean by throwback—?”

“First off, you’re going to learn soon enough because the kids would be devastated if you didn’t join us and I’d just tie you down if you refused. And throwback just means when you go back to something of a different time period. The Great Mouse Detective is a classic!”

Pietro stuck out his tongue at that, causing Clint to frown.

“What the hell is that for?”

“Shakespeare is a classic. As far as I am concerned, Shakespeare was an old fart.”

“Hey! This ain’t some Old English classic that is impossible to understand and connects with the psyche of the human race or some crap. This is a classic that connects with your inner child like wonder and you are going to love it!”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“But I do know what’s best for you,” Clint responded with a suggestive smirk as he gave Pietro a light punch to the shoulder. “And you’re going to watch it. Believe me, you’ll adore it. Now I’m going to start cooking dinner. I don’t really care what you do but the shower is open if you need it.”

After that, they both went off to do their own thing though before Clint could even open a cupboard, the home phone had begun ringing. Seeing that it was Nat’s standard phone, Clint answered, a grin on his face. Though it was odd he was being contacted now, and there was a chance that something bad had occurred, it had been a while since he’d heard from her.

“What up Nat? You guys need your favorite archer to help you out of another sticky situation Stark caused?”

A snort sounded from the other end which was good. She sounded fairly calm, which even in the worst situation, Nat could be calm, but the snort also signaled that she wasn’t in a rush so there probably wasn’t another world catastrophe around the corner.

“Funny Clint. Put Laura on.”

“Why? Laura isn’t even here,” Clint replied.

“Alright birdbrain, I know Laura is just telling you what to say so how about you put your wife on Clint?”

“Okay, Natasha, I don’t know what blender your brain got stuck in, but Laura isn’t here! Why would you assume her to be? She’s been working with Damage Control and since our divorce, she’s been away a good bit,” responded Clint. “If anything, I would expect you to ask for Silvia.”

Clint waited, expecting something more. For a moment, he thought his hearing had gone out again and maybe it had because the exasperation he finally heard made it seem that Nat had just repeated herself.

“In Budapest I…”

“I made a different call,” Clint finished, confusion blossoming over his face. “I know the line Nat. If I say that, then we’re all good. If I say anything else, even a word off, then something is wrong.”

“Exactly.”

“Alright, then why use it? You’re kind of freaking me out here Nat.”

There was silence again and then finally, “You can really hear me?”

“Duh, of course I can. Why would you assume otherwise?”

“Because you’re deaf. Completely deaf in the right ear and over ninety percent deaf in the left one. Bruce checked.”

“Uh, I can assure you that I am not death. Though my hearing has gone a bit wonky as of late. But what do you mean Bruce checked? He’s there?”

“Of course he is. Where else would he be?” asked Natasha.

“Uh, I don’t know. On an island or the middle of the ocean? You did kick him into a giant hole and cause him to Hulk out.”

“Clint, what occurred right before Ultron first appeared?”

“Um, we all tried to lift Thor’s hammer except you. Rhodey and Tony tried to cheat using their armor but that didn’t work either. Now how about we stop with the interrogation and you explain why the hell Bruce is still there.”

“Not until you explain why Laura is working for Damage Control again! She’s expecting that traitor Nathaniel.”

“I know we were originally thinking of three kids, and we promised to name the third after you, but we got divorced Nat.”

“Since when?”

“Months ago!”

“Alright, what about Silvia then?”

“What about her? She’s in her bedroom if you need her but—”

“She should be dead Clint.”

“What?!”

“She died last year after tripping down the stairs and cracking her head. Laura was devastated.”

“I’m sure she would have been if it had happened,” Clint muttered, utterly shocked. “Okay, we have to go over some other things. Tell me about…”

Back and forth they went, and they found that most of the information was the same between them. It appeared that information pass two years ago was completely untouched but after that there was more arguments and uncertainties as to what had happened.

Finally, Natasha let out a tired sigh and muttered, “I’m going to talk to the other Avengers about this. Some type of alien technology was probably used though I don’t know what their goal could have been. Nothing that could be catastrophically significant seems to have been changed. I would almost say it was Loki but…”

“Yeah. I forgot about that. Good riddance,” murmured Clint. It took him a moment to get his mind back on track and when he did he added, “Keep me updated if you guys figure anything out. Alien tech definitely sounds right. Maybe Thor could look out on his end and get some information. Or maybe there’s something in the Hydra files. Do you need me to come in?”

“It’s not necessary. Stay with your family Clint,” Natasha replied. “But I’ll call you tomorrow or later tonight. I’ll get the team together now.”

“Understood. Talk to you later Natasha,” Clint responded. Immediately after hanging up, Clint thought about calling Wanda but Nat would probably already be calling the meeting. What was happening could be from some far off alien creature or tech but it made a hell of a lot more sense that it was Wanda’s doing.

Clint thought about talking to Pietro about it but he decided ultimately to push it off. He would only get anxious and wouldn’t be able to do anything about the situation anyways. He’d talk to Wanda after the Avengers had their little meeting and then he’d let Wanda tell Pietro whatever she wanted.

With that in mind, Clint finally started dinner, making pizza as was the usual choice for movie night. As he did, he also wondered if other things had changed. He wasn’t angry at Wanda for apparently changing his life but he would definitely like to know what else was and wasn’t wrong. He was so caught up in his conflicting thoughts that when he heard the boo from behind him, he jumped about a mile high and swung the bag of cheese around.

As the shredded cheddar went everywhere, the person who had said boo and had wisely ducked stood up straight with an amused look on his face. His silvery hair was slicked back from being wet and his cloths stuck to his body where he was still a bit damp as he said, “I didn’t know it was possible to sneak up on a master assassin. Or are you really not as good as you say?”

“Oh I’m good alright! You just caught me off guard,” growled Clint.

“But aren’t assassins always supposed to be aware?”

“Oh hush,” Clint replied as he quickly cleaned up the mess he had just made. “You’re just lucky I didn’t clock you upside the head.”

Letting out a snort, Pietro shook his head and then leaned over Clint’s shoulder to look at what he was making. “American pizza is so strange.”

“You’re only saying that cause you’re use to whatever Europeans call pizza.”

“True. But anything you’re not use to is often considered strange.”

“Well will you look at that. The boy’s a philosopher,” Clint replied with a chuckle which earned him a kick to the back of his leg. Nevertheless he ignored it and concentrated on finishing the pizza so it could get put into the oven. He wasn’t aware of the fact that Pietro hadn’t moved from his position right up against his back or that he had been that close in the first place.

Pietro inched just a little closer and looked at Clint, both curious and hopeful, but the older man didn’t seem to notice as he continued cooking. Finally, Pietro backed off as the other moved and put the pizza in the oven and then slapped his hands together and turned to Pietro with a grin. “Welp, no matter how strange you think it is, if you try it then next movie night we can make a pizza your way.”

“Realy?”

“Totally! Those kolachky were pretty awesome though I still swear I cooked them for to long,” Clint muttered with a shake of his head. “But no matter! In about twenty minutes we are going to be gorging ourselves and watching the Great Mouse Detective!”

“Alright, I seriously need to know at least something about this movie before seeing it,” muttered Pietro. “At least give me the overall gist of it.”

“Do you know who Sherlock Holmes is?”

“Of course.”

“Think Holmes but with mice and rats,” Clint responded with a smirk.

“Wait, seriously! That’s it? What kind of movie is that? Why the hell would you—?”

“Hey! Don’t judge a book by its cover. Or its summary for that matter. You don’t get to say one bad thing about this movie until after you’ve seen it.”

“You don’t know what you’re in for old man.”

“I think I can take it,” Clint responded with a smirk.

Then, with plenty of excitement, the allotted time passed and Clint was pulling out the pizza and passing slices to everyone before the group moved to the living room where they somehow managed to fit on the couch. Lila had wiggled her way into Pietro’s lap much to his surprise and pleasure while Cooper was sitting on Clint’s. Squished in, Pietro’s, Clint’s, and Silvia’s sighs were pressed hard against each other as the warmth of the pizza was felt through the paper plates and Clint pressed play.

At any other point, Clint would have thoroughly enjoyed the movie, especially the joy on Pietro’s face as the other obviously enjoyed the movie. However, the talk with Nat had every moment that his hearing went out more noticeable and worrying. Would he be stuck in this flux of hearing and silence? Or was the silence growing longer, more frequent? Was he really going deaf?

So caught up in his thoughts, Clint didn’t even notice the movie was over until he could feel the warm breath on his ear. His glance over told him that Pietro was telling him he had enjoyed the movie (thank god he could read lips fairly well) and Clint gave a smirk at that and nudged him.

“Told you you’d like it,” Clint said. He then got the full rundown as Pietro blabbed on and on about the movie and how great it was instead of the promised rant. Despite the hearing problem and how long and quick Pietro spoke, Clint couldn’t help but enjoy himself.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait but here it is. Hope you enjoy!

Very carefully, Wanda held a flower in mid air. She had spent almost all of her spare time with Vision and she honestly had to say she had improved. Now they were retrying Vision’s first challenge. It was currently the morning and Vision watched her as the space around the flower began to warp. At first, it was simply like her field of sight was bubbling but soon holes formed as she watched the action of Vision crushing the flower through the rips.

This was the farthest she had come and she looked towards Vision with a brilliant smile on her face only to drop it. The world around her had frozen, had ceased moving.

Wanda turned her concentration back towards the warped space and time around the crushed flower and carefully began to push to manipulate it instead of simply revealing it. She moved her fingers and hands intricately, allowing the movement to come naturally. As time was moved backwards in the bubble, the space within shimmered and changed. Once the flower had changed, once it had no longer been crushed, she stopped.

Only then did she realize just how much energy she was using.

“Wanda!” Vision cried out as he dived for her. Instead of supporting her upright, he gently let her down on the ground where he kneeled next to her as she supported herself. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine Vision,” she said with a lengthy breath. “I just…phew! I just need a moment.”

As she allowed herself to catch her breath and gather herself, Wanda could feel Vision’s eyes on her, his gaze full of concern, and it truly wasn’t until Wanda seemed alright that he seemed to notice what had exactly happened. His eyes finally moved to the flower that Wanda had kept carefully balanced in her hand.

Vision looked awe struck but instead of commenting on it, he turned back to Wanda. “You are sure you are alright?” he asked. “Is there anything you need? Anything that I can do?”

“I’m fine Vision, honest. I was just a bit winded beforehand.”

Though he gave her a somewhat uncertain look, her tone of voice seemed to assure him enough and he finally focused back on the flower. “You did it though. Beautiful.”

“It’s only a little flower.”

“I’m not talking about the flower, though its configuration is certainly intriguing. I’m talking about your work. It’s gorgeous. It is very impressive.”

“Thank you,” Wanda replied with a smile as she held out the hand with the flower.

Vision took it, examined it for a moment, and then placed it behind Wanda’s ear. “Despite its structure, besides its aesthetic properties its other purposes have all become moot. We could place it in a vase of water to further its lifespan but I think it would be better suited behind your ear.”

“Is that you calling the flower beautiful or me?” asked Wanda, mainly as a joke.

“Both,” Vision replied.

His honest and adoring look had Wanda nearly blushing but before she could worry about the android questioning the changing color in her cheeks, he cocked his head to the side and paused. He seemed to almost be listening to something but Wanda couldn’t tell what it was.

“Is everything alright?”

“Natasha Romanoff is calling a meeting for all Avengers. We need to get back to the Helicarrier now.”

“I wish we had longer,” Wanda sighed, slightly disappointed as she pushed herself off the ground. “Does she say the reason for calling the meeting?”

“No, only that it is of the utmost importance. I can fly us back to the city where we could walk the rest of the way or I can fly us all the way if that is alright.”

“All the way. I do not believe Black Widow is one to overestimate the need for the words ‘utmost importance’. Let’s get going,” replied Wanda.

The two then quickly made their way back to the Helicarrier and then rushed down the halls towards the meeting room. All the other Avengers were already there, including Maria Hill and Nick Fury.

“Hey! The newbies finally made it,” Tony said with a grin. His eyes quickly locked onto the flower and a mischievous look came across his face. “Hmm, so what have the newbs been doing in their—”

“Tony, now is not the time for your little quips,” muttered Natasha as Wanda moved her hand up to graze across the flower.

She thought about taking it out. However, she realized that she didn’t really care what the others thought. She didn’t want to hurt Vision’s feelings and kept it there instead. Besides, the gesture had been sweet and she didn’t mind it anyways.

Natasha then quickly brought everyone’s attention back to the problem at hand as she said, “I’ve spoken to Clint recently and we’ve come to the understanding that reality has splintered.”

Wanda’s entire body suddenly became numb.

Tony’s eyes perked up in curiosity as Bruce looked disbelieving and Thor looked wary. Rogers spoke first as he asked, “How do you know this? Do you know if anything of significance has changed?”

“We don’t have any scientific proof, I was hoping the Science Bros could do that, but we did go through past experiences and up until two years ago, there are discrepancies in our memories,” Natasha replied.

“But how do you know its reality and not just your memories that has changed?” asked Bruce.

“Because Clint claims he’s not deaf,” responded Natasha. “And he isn’t in a way yet it seems despite his memory saying that he isn’t deaf, reality seems to be trying to fix it. His hearing has been going in and out and apparently it’s becoming more frequent.”

“Wait, Clint is deaf?” asked Tony, his face utterly confused.

Steve’s face went from mildly thoughtful to irritated as he replied, “You and Bruce examined him!”

Tony looked like he was about to argue the fact but Thor quickly stepped in and asked, “Are there other moments like this with physical evidence that the world has changed?”

“Well for starters Clint and Laura are divorced and his mother-in-law, who died last year, is alive,” Natasha replied. “He also thought Bruce and I had a thing and then because I kicked Bruce into a hole to make him Hulk-out, he left after kicking Ultron out of a Quinjet.”

“What? We all know Thor was the one to get Ultron out of the Quinjet,” Bruce replied, looking confused and a bit embarrassed at Natasha’s words.

“Yeah, that totally didn’t happen. We all know Nat and Maria are banging,” added Tony with a snort.

Both women shot daggers at Tony as Fury chose to ignore that fact or joke, it was honestly hard to tell. Instead, Fury said, “I actually remember that. Hulk being the one to throw Ultron out of the Quinjet instead of Thor.”

“As do I,” Steve responded. “Alright, just to double check, we all agree on the fact that Ultron is defeated right? Even if you have the slightest bit of doubt, a feeling, a dream, say it now.”

“Nope, dead as a doornail,” said Tony as everyone nodded in agreement.

“And everyone is supposedly alive that should be right?” asked Steve.

Once again everyone nodded. Tony added, “Pietro’s the only one and he’s definitely gone.”

More nods, this time a little more sorrowful.

“So this is more than likely alien tech that’s doing this,” Maria said, moving the conversation away from the pain that everyone held on their faces. “We need to figure out exactly what it is and who is using it.”

“Though there are plenty of people that would wish harm on the individual Avengers, it would appear that the only major enemies the Avengers hold are Hydra and Loki,” Vision suddenly said. As faces turned towards him, he continued. “Seeing as one of those is dead, I believe that Hydra is the most likely choice. Even when pushed underground, they have more resources and connections than any individual villain.”

“Android’s got a point,” Tony said with a quick nod. “Though it is of course possible that some random villain got lucky and found something that messed everything up.”

“But either way, it’s obviously something or someone doing this,” Thor replied. “More than likely, some form of energy is being released. Perhaps Stark and Banner could find and analyze it.”

“A good idea but a chancy one,” Bruce muttered as he looked down. His face thoughtful, ideas ran through his mind as he said, “But we should at the very least try. What do you think Tony?”

“Well we at least have a chance. I’ll start F.R.I.D.A.Y. with examining the energy levels in this area, both natural and unnatural,” replied Tony.

“And I shall leave for Asgard to speak with Heimdell. It is possible he has seen something or at the very least prove by sight that reality has indeed splintered,” Thor added.

“And I’ll have people start going through security systems,” Fury put in. “For all we know, whatever this item or person is, distance may be a factor in how well it works. Once again, the chance is small but it’s still there.”

“I’ll also speak with the locals. I know it’s been hectic for them but there’s a chance that someone saw something that could help us,” said Steve.

“Then I think that concludes this meeting,” Natasha replied. “Vision, Wanda, if you can think of anything at all, any information could be helpful. Otherwise, while we do this, continue with helping the people of Sokovia.”

“Understood,” responded Vision as Wanda nodded.

“Good. We’ll meet the same time tomorrow to see if we’ve gotten any farther,” Natasha said before turning on her heels and leaving the room. The rest of the crowd quickly dispersed. Some went down a hallway to their needed area where the others went outside.

Wanda and Vision moved with each other wordlessly until they were finally alone again and away from all cameras and microphones that could be listening in. Wanda stopped first, and then Vision, and both remained silent until Wanda asked the number one question on her mind.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Would you have liked me to?”

“No, but I cannot help but wonder why you would not inform the Avengers,” Wanda replied.

“Because I do not see you purposely harming them but to inform them of what you have done this moment could harm you,” responded Vision. “I understand that you need time before, or even if, you decide to tell them. Though at this point it would appear they may find out beforehand.”

“True.”

“But ultimately I want to help you. I will keep quiet about your power and our training sessions until you think it necessary to bring it forth,” Vision said.

The statement made Wanda produce a slight smile, never having had anyone but her brother for help. Like with Clint, it was nice having someone else she could depend on and go to. “Thank you,” she said. “You can’t possibly understand what that means to me.”

“Actually, I think I do. I believe you are my friend, for you have one feels the need to help a friend no matter what. Is that not right?”

“I suppose it can be,” Wanda responded. “And I am honored to be called your friend.”

“As am I in calling you that. For the moment, is there anything I can do?” asked Vision.

Wanda shook her head. “I’ll need to contact Pietro and Clint about the situation. They should know what’s going on and Clint may be able to help ease this situation.”

“Then I shall continue with our duties so that you have time to do so.”

“Thank you Vision. For everything.”

The Vision smiled, kind and thankful in its own right. “There is no need to thank me. If anything, I should be thank you.”


	10. Chapter 10

Though the kids and Silvia were asleep, Clint and Pietro were still awake as they listened to Wanda on speaker.

They both sat at the kitchen table, leaning forward as Wanda explained everything that had transpired at the meeting. “Vision is the only one that knows. It helps that I have someone on my side over here but I don’t know what will happen if I tell the others.”

“You can’t tell them!” Pietro said hurriedly. “You’ll get hurt!”

“Woah, calm down their Pietro! Listen, Wanda, keep it secret for now. Unless it looks like they’ll be able to trace it to you and expose you, just continue training with Vision. Perhaps you can fix these discrepancies in reality while keeping Pietro alive.”

“I can certainly try. But I am very worried for the Avengers. Everyone is on high alert as if they are going to get attacked at any moment. I do not want to cause them this unnecessary worry.”

Clint sighed, “Just think of it as bringing the team together. And no matter what, I know you’ll make the right call. And I’ll vouch for you no matter what.”

“Thank you Clint. That means a great deal to me,” Wanda replied.

“But what about me? If I come then you have proof as to why you did it and that you didn’t have any—”

Wanda interrupted her brother however and quickly replied, “I know you mean well but having you come back at this time would probably only freak out the rest of the Avengers. Stay with Clint until it is safe to come out otherwise.”

Pietro let out an exasperated sigh but didn’t say anything as Clint added, “Call me the moment something occurs and I honestly don’t believe the Avengers would hurt you but on the off chance that they do feel threatened…come back here. It’s literally the last place they would suspect.”

“Understood. And thank you once again,” Wanda replied before saying her good byes and finally hanging up.

Once she did, Pietro looked irritably at Clint. “I feel useless.”

“It’s a shitty feeling isn’t it kid.”

“Stop calling me that,” grumbled Pietro. “And yeah, it is.”

Clint let out a soft sigh, eyes down as ideas ran through his mind when suddenly he perked up again. “Hey, how about some hot chocolate? I know it’s not exactly the time of year for it but I got the perfect marshmallows for it if you feel like it, the big fluffy kind.”

“I’ve actually never had hot chocolate.”

“Oh, then we have to have some! And it may not fix all our problems but hopefully it will cheer you up some,” Clint said excitedly as he turned around and began to get everything ready.

While he moved back and forth, Pietro looked over at the pictures. He’d done so before, had gotten to know a bit more about the family, but was still curious and asked, “So you are divorced from your wife?”

“Yep,” Clint responded.

“But why are you apparently so close still?”

“Well for starters, just leaving a relationship badly is never good for anyone. And we had kids for that matter! But ultimately we kind of got bored with each other.”

A rather worried look came over Pietro’s face though Clint couldn’t see. He seemed rather uncertain and asked, “Do you get bored with people easily?”

“No, but I’ve never been great at relationships. Not to say mine and Laura’s was horrible or anything! It was perfect but we kind of got stuck in a rut. It was to nice, to normal, almost to domestic in a way. I know some people like that but in the end, it wasn’t what I needed and Laura was kind enough to understand.”

“So you need someone who you can get familiar with yet still be surprised by, still be excited by,” Pietro said slowly as ideas slowly began forming in his mind.

“Basically yeah, but if you’re asking all this to get relationship advice then I’m not really doing you much good. This is really just how my mind thinks.”

 _Which is what I needed_ , Pietro thought, but instead kept quite as Clint continued with a question of his own.

“So, do you have anybody back home? Or had any way?”

Pietro knew that Clint was just making casual conversation but he wished there was some honest hope in the man’s voice. Like he wished that Pietro would say ‘nope, definitely not’. But Pietro threw such ideas out the door and instead simply focused on answering the question. “No, not really. I mean, there were thoughts but I was to focused on looking out for my sister. She probably felt the same way about me.”

“Well at least now you can have some more fun. You’re an Avenger after all!”

“I’m deceased,” Pietro deadpanned as he gave Clint a pointed look and the man winced in response.

“Technically you’re supposed to be, yes, but as far as I’m concerned you’re an Avenger, alright? Besides, you sure as hell have proved yourself and if death is an issue, Tony’s heart has already stopped a couple of times so it’s no biggy.”

Pietro rolled his eyes at that but didn’t say anything else as Clint was then turning around and handing him a cup of hot chocolate. “Tell me what you think,” Clint said.

Taking a sip, Pietro reeled his head back in shock at the taste. “Shit that’s sweet!”

“To sweet?” asked Clint with a rather worried look on his face.

“No, it’s good,” Pietro responded. “I just was not expecting it.”

“Well I’m glad you liked it,” Clint replied with a grin. “So, if you don’t mind me asking, I’m curious what other languages you speak. I know you speak Serbian but are there any others?”

“I also speak Romanian. Sokovia is like Belgium. We don’t really have one main language and though there are people who only speak Romanian, Serbian, or English, most can at least understand them all well enough if not speak them all.”

“Nat’s always been the bigger language expert. Most languages I have a basic understanding and guess my way through it but in no way do I actually know them. Which was hardest for you to learn?”

“Most certainly English,” replied Pietro. He took a sip of his drink and hid his pleased smile behind it. The rather normal conversation was helping as much as the hot chocolate was in bringing up his spirits. “I have a horrible accent when I speak in it.”

“Aw, don’t say that! At least you don’t have one of those deep, American southern accents. I think I’d die if I’d grown up with that,” Clint replied as he pretended to faint. “But no, your accent fits you. It’s rather cute to.”

Though there were several other words Pietro would have preferred to hear, he still silently cursed his pale complexion. He could feel his ears growing hot and he honestly couldn’t tell if Clint was just ignoring his mild discomfort or honestly couldn’t tell. Whichever it was, Pietro took advantage of it and tried to remain casual as he carefully asked, “Uh, you really think so?”

“Of course I do. No reason to lie about it. It’s endearing,” replied Clint. He glanced at the clock then and turned back to Pietro. “After I finish this, I’m going to probably head off to bed. Anything you need?”

“Not that I can think of,” Pietro responded.

“Alright, I’ll see you in the morning then. And tomorrow we can train some more but this time with your powers. Sound good?”

“Sounds like I’m going to kick your ass.”

“You wish,” replied Clint with a smirk. “See you in the morning.”

He swallowed the remnants of his cup, set it down for later, and then walked past Pietro and up to his room. Pietro remained for a moment longer as he finished his own drink and then put both cups up, even though he knew he didn’t need to.

Now that the house was completely silent, Pietro could shake out his nerves and try to calm down a bit. He was way to giddy and though part of it was probably from how he’d been dancing around Clint, a good bit of it was probably from the lack of power usage as well. Hopefully finally being able to use his powers again would help get his mind off of everything.

Though that was honestly unlikely since he’d be using them around Clint.

He really wished he had more experience in this area and knew what to do. He also wished he could talk to someone that knew Clint better than him. Though he wanted to believe the man was as clueless as he appeared, it was impossible to truly tell.

And Wanda. He wished he’d kept her on the phone when they’d finished discussing the whole Avenger and changing reality problem. It wasn’t like she had any more experience in the whole thing than he did but Pietro felt that she would at least have some type of helpful advice.

Nevertheless, he was on his own for the moment so Pietro tried to device ways of being more obvious. Which, to be perfectly honest, didn’t seem possible by this point but if Clint really wasn’t aware of it, then he’d just have to be. But then there was that fear of being rejected. Though he didn’t think Clint would be rude or hurtful if he wasn’t interested, it was also hard to know if he’d honestly not want to be with him because of who he was or if it was a whole other problem entirely.

There was the possibility of his age which Pietro really hoped wouldn’t happen. Though the fact that Clint kept calling him kid certainly made the option plausible. Then there was also the fact that he might not trust him. Or, even worse, he didn’t trust him enough as part of an extension of his sister.

Pietro knew the two had made up and now seemed fairly close but he still was unsure, always so use to high levels of distrust. And of course there was the idea of them actually working together. Though Clint didn’t strike him as that type of person, he may not want to simply because they were, in a way at least, colleagues.

And of course without all those ideas going through his head, there was the hurtful reminder that Clint may just not be interested in him period. Not having a reason, simply not liking him, would ultimately be the hardest to get over because with that there was no way he could convince the man otherwise.

By this point, Pietro had realized that he was pacing and decided that it was probably time for bed now. He made his way upstairs to his room and got changed. As he did so, he came up with another problem of the entire situation.

There was the chance Clint would believe they hadn’t known each other for long enough which, once again, there was really no way around that.

But before all that crap came to pass, or not, Pietro simply had to make Clint see what he’d been trying to for the past few weeks. It seemed fairly certain that if he tried what he’d been doing beforehand then Clint would take as much notice as the past times.

Which meant a direct approach.

Which Pietro wasn’t positive he could do.

Finally he just tried to force himself to sleep. Whatever happened tomorrow, he’d be ready for it and that was what mattered.

Or at least that’s what he thought.

The next morning he rolled out of bed, got dressed, and walked downstairs completely ready for his training session with Clint. He didn’t make it all the way though as he saw Clint with his arms wrapped around another woman.

He pulled away though, somehow being alerted to Pietro’s presence, and turned around and smiled. One arm still slung around the woman’s shoulder, Clint held out his other hand as way of introduction and said, “Pietro! Great, you’re awake! You’re just in time to meet my ex-wife Laura.”


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one I got out a lot faster. Hopefully it's still just as good. Enjoy!

The training session that day was put off and Pietro couldn’t help but be a little angry. A bit jealous. Which was completely stupid because they were divorced but suddenly Clint was being all family man. It wasn’t like they were ignoring him. In fact, both Clint and Laura were even more welcoming and inviting but simply the way everyone fit together, it made Pietro feel out of place.

And then there was the irrational jealousy that simply kept growing the more and more he talked to Laura. She was nice, sweet, polite, and it was all genuine. She was simply a completely honest and open woman.

Though Pietro could understand why they hadn’t worked well, she seemed to domestic for what Clint needed, but that didn’t make the jealousy any less.

The one thing that he didn’t get jealous over was just how wonderful she was with her kids and how happy they were to see her. Some might of thought, due to his lost childhood, he would feel resentment. However, Pietro honestly didn’t wish any hard feelings onto anyone when it came to close family ties. There was even no jealousy, only thankfulness that these people had what he lost so horribly.

The entire family ended up having breakfast and lunch together while in between chatter was exchanged and games were played. Silvia mostly complained about Clint and kept claiming that Laura should just kick him out, though it was all in good natured fun, while the kids seemed to back up anyone except Clint, relishing in the eye rolls and faux exasperated sighs that he gave them in turn.

It was only after lunch that Pietro finally got a chance of one on one with Laura though. Clint had given her a brief overview of why Pietro was there; part of the team, got injured, thought this would be the safest place for the time being. Basically that and thankfully the kids didn’t say anything else as they blabbered on and on about the twins and how much they liked them and what they had done.

Now that Pietro had the one on one, he honestly wanted to run away. Not because he was a coward or anything of course, but because he was unsure if his irrational feelings would get the better of him. He wouldn’t be surprised if he said something incredibly rude or hurtful but he also knew that later on he would horribly regret it.

Nevertheless, he didn’t want to give her reason to be concerned or the urge to find him and get him alone again. Then there was the idea that she might question Clint what was wrong and then he’d want to know too so, with head held high, Pietro remained where he was and waited for whatever would come from her lips.

The kids, Silvia, and Clint were all on the front porch playing Sorry. Pietro had meant to come inside alone to refill the pitcher of water but upon turning around after filling it, he’d seen that Laura had followed him.

“I hope I didn’t startle you,” Laura quickly said before Pietro could even think up an excuse to leave. “If it’s alright with you, I would like to talk.”

“We don’t want to keep them waiting long.”

“No, but it’s Clint’s turn and he just drew a Sorry card which means there’s going to be a lot of bargaining and pleading. It should buy us some time but you really don’t have to stay.”

“It’s fine,” replied Pietro, even though it really wasn’t. He tried to go through the list of reasons why Laura would want to talk to him but he couldn’t even come up with one. “Is something the matter?”

“Not at all. Unless of course you’re counting my husband’s cluelessness which, I swear if you can put up with that you’ll be fine,” Laura responded. She let out a snort, her smile warm and opening. It made Pietro almost like her yet he concentrated more on her words, utterly confused.

“I do not follow.”

“Well, perhaps I’m being to presumptuous, or maybe you’re playing dumb because you really don’t want to talk about this which in that case you can leave right now, it’s fine, but I’m talking about the crush you’ve developed on my ex-husband.”

Pietro resisted the urge to gawk and was rather thankful he wasn’t holding the pitcher at the moment. He thought about immediately refuting her but there had been no anger in her voice, she clearly wasn’t accusing him of anything, so he finally gave a small nod of his head, curious what she’d have to say.

“How did you know?” asked Pietro, completely on guard.

“To be perfectly honest, I think Cooper and Lila can tell. You’re trying to get his attention but he’s completely clueless of every move you’ve made and everything you’ve said, correct?” Laura questioned.

After some consideration, Pietro gave his hesitant answer. “Yes…”

“Don’t look so shocked,” Laura replied, her smile still there and easy going. “I went through a lot of what you’re going through only I didn’t have anyone to tell me what to do next.”

“Do next?”

“Yes. You see, you could probably tell him you were in love with him, liked him, whatever, and he still wouldn’t get it. I mean, he might but it’s better to just go straight for a kiss,” Laura responded.

“Are you being serious right now?”

“Completely.”

“Then explain to me why because I find it hard that you would like me to get with your ex husband without an ulterior motive,” replied Pietro as he crossed his arms and gave a pointed look.

Nodding in understanding, Laura said, “I understand. And I do have an ulterior motive if you must know. I want Clint to be happy and despite the fact that it hasn’t even been a day, I can tell from the way he looks at you he likes you too.”

Now that was shocking. “You are pulling my leg. And I would have to say that is rather rude.”

“I assure you, I’m not. Clint truly likes you but has, for whatever reason, chosen not to act on it. I believe it has something to do with your twin.”

“Wanda?” asked Pietro, even more confused now. “Why? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Maybe not to you but to Clint he would probably feel like he was betraying her trust. And from what I understand, you both don’t trust people very easily,” replied Laura

“Well you wouldn’t be wrong. But I still don’t get why you are approaching me about this.”

“Because, like I said, I want Clint to be happy and the few times we’ve talked these past months, it’s mostly been about the silver haired little shit. His words not mine.”

Perking up at that, Pietro asked, “Really?”

“Yes, and from the get go he thought you were attractive. That part was fairly obvious even if he didn’t state it directly but from the time you’ve both spent together here, I think he’s really fallen for you.”

“It hasn’t been that long.”

“Over a month, right? And you’ve known each other longer than that what with all the things the Avengers get up to. Sometimes the realization of love is slow, takes forever, and other times it is quicker. Just depends on the people and the situations.”

“Well what if it’s the situation then? The only reason I’ve been here for so long is because I’m healing. What if we get into a different situation and realize that we don’t work together?”

“You’ve seen Clint at his domestic level. You’ve seen him when he’s an Avenger. And, from what I’ve heard, you’ve seen him when he’s a little shit, a joker, and a lazy bastard. If you can deal with all of those forms of Clint, I don’t think you need to worry about the situation changing.”

“So what do I do from here.”

“Preferably a kiss. Like I said, he’s a bit thick skulled and that’s probably the only thing that will actually get through to him. Now, the bargaining is probably close to ending if it hasn’t already. We should head back,” Laura replied. She turned and left first but made sure to say one last thing over her shoulder. “Good luck.”

* * *

 

Thor had just come back from Asgard and once again, the Avengers were gathered together.

“So, what did the all-seeing Heimdell have to say?” asked Tony. “Do we all need to go into our apocalyptic bunkers or is this leave the planet worthy?”

“It has nothing to do with the state of the planet,” Thor replied with a roll of his eyes. “Heimdell says that he is able to see a crack that has formed over the Earth, its starting point being the end of the battle with Ultron.”

“Uh, that sounds prettily leave the planet worthy to me. Anyone else ready to move to the moon yet?”

“Shut up Tony,” Nat responded, focusing on Thor. “So, what exactly does that mean?”

“The crack is that of space and time. Reality was changed for an ultimate purpose, one which Heimdell believes was completed. The change in reality has splintered across parts of the world but they are healing themselves.”

“So what you’re saying is that we shouldn’t prepare for the end of the world,” Steve replied as he gave a pointed look at Tony. “That’s great that it’s over but we still don’t know who did this or why. Could Heimdell see any of that?”

“I’m afraid not. Powerful magic has kept him from looking deeper at the eye of this storm.” As Thor watched the way the faces of his teammates changed, he quickly added, “And I assure you it is not Loki! He will not be harming the Avengers anymore.”

“Alright Thor but if we don’t have any idea of who it is, we really need to be asking what they changed,” Bruce said. “I mean, we’ve already proved that our memories are faulty. What if we al remember Ultron going down but somebody actually brought him back?”

“That’s certainly a possible threat but I highly doubt it,” Maria replied. “Ultron, though he was smart enough to keep all plans from us and to develop them under our noses rather well, he’s not one to hide that he’s back. He would get to much joy out of that, even if it was only an email or something just as ridiculous.”

“Well we also haven’t considered that this could be somebody without the focus of wanting to hurt the Avengers,” Tony added. When Fury gave him that one-eyed glare, he quickly said, “Hey! I know it’s a long shot but not everything is centered around us. Whoever did this may not have meant it to affect us at all. I mean, what if they changed reality so that a loved one didn’t die in the battle or something? I’m sure that would change a few things, intentional or not.”

Shivers went up Wanda’s spine.

“We can certainly look into it,” replied Steve. “And it’s a good idea Tony, but to use this much power not against…someone is surprising. Tony, Bruce, any luck on tracking that energy source?”

“We’ve identified it but it’s nearly impossible to follow a trace. It’s so weak and almost everywhere over this region of the world. So I mean, at least we can tell where it generally originated but it will take a while before we find a definite source.”

“What’s a while?” asked Natasha.

“A few more days, but not much longer,” Bruce replied.

“Well, then I guess that concludes the meeting,” added Maria. “We’re almost done finishing up here so try to finish tracking this energy source before the end of the week.”

“We’re leaving this soon?” asked Wanda.

“We’ve helped the people of Sokovia greatly and we won’t just leave in one night,” Fury responded, “but we can’t support them for the rest of their lives. A country needs to learn to support itself. So yes, we’re leaving, but we will have more than one failsafe in place to support the country until they can on their own.”

“If I may, could I be informed of all decisions with my country?”

“You make it sound like you want to stay with the Avengers,” Fury said.

“Yes, I mean, I would like to stay with the Avengers,” responded Wanda, uncertain what Fury’s tone of voice meant.

However, she was quickly looking over to Steve as he said, “Good, because we were going to make you head of the redevelopment program for Sokovia.”

“You just made that up,” accused Tony.

“Maybe so but now it’s a real think,” countered Cap. “And it allows somebody who has lived in Sokovia, who is a Sokovian, and who understands her country and people to do what she thinks is best for them.”

“Well fine but now we have to have an official Avengers initiation party,” Tony replied with a grin.

“Has everyone forgotten about the crack in reality?” asked Maria.

Tony nodded at that and bumped shoulders with Wanda. “Fine! We’ll do your initiation party after this week but that just allows me more time to make it even better than before.”

“Well, with that last note, this meeting is adjourned,” Natasha said.

A few more last minutes comments were made as people dwindled out and once again, Vision and Wanda were alone.

It didn’t take long before the Vision could understand what the look on Wanda’s face was. However, when he did, he voiced his concerns.

“You wish to tell them.”

Wanda nodded, sniffing a bit but keeping any tears from forming. “They’re starting to let me in. Not as readily as Clint, though then again I did go to his house uninvited with a revived brother, but…it’s nice. And they’re going to hate me so much when I do tell them but I feel that I have to.”

Though he hesitated, Vision recalled the move that many people did to each other in times of joy, sadness, when hope was needed. He carefully moved his arm around her shoulders. When she didn’t say or do anything, Vision added two pats just to make sure.

It made Wanda laugh which was unexpected but caused the Vision to give a small smile.

“What do you think I should do?” asked Wanda.

“I think you should tell them, before they find out for themselves which now seems inevitable. But if it comes from you, and if you tell them the full truth, they will forgive you.”

“All of them?”

“Yes. You have not harmed any of them, you never wanted to, and if you show them that the whole reason was that you brought your brother back, then they could not possibly hate you.”

“But what if they do?” asked Wanda hesitantly.

“Then they never deserved your companionship.”

“Thank you,” Wanda said. “I think…just thank you.”

Vision wondered what she would have said but did not press. Instead, he felt pleased that Wanda allowed his arm to remain wrapped around her shoulders and drew comfort from her arm which quickly wrapped around his waist.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as of right now I have decided to make this 15 chapters. That may change before the end of this but certainly not by much. Enjoy!

That afternoon and night, Pietro was unable to get Clint alone to actually do anything. Despite what Laura had said, he sure as hell wasn’t just going to kiss Clint in front of his entire family. Instead, he continued to go along with everything and went to bed around the time everyone else did.

Pietro then woke up early the next morning and hurried downstairs. He hoped to catch Clint before anyone else and he was lucky enough to do so.

He was busy starting the coffee machine when he glanced over and saw Pietro, mouth splitting open into a grin. “Hey! Sorry I we didn’t get to our training yesterday.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, I told you we would and I didn’t and that’s my bad. I got carried away what with Laura being here and everything. But don’t worry! Today will be much more normal. We can start it out by doing a training session if you want.”

Pietro perked up at that. “Really?”

“Yeah, just let me get my cup of coffee and then I’ll be ready.”

Waiting eagerly, Pietro joined Clint in that cup of coffee before they finally headed outside. At first they began with what Clint had already taught Pietro but finally he said the words that had Pietro spouting his mischievous smile from ear to ear.

“Alright, now we’re going to use some powers. Don’t hold back, there are no rules, just let loose.”

“Wait, seriously?” asked Pietro. “We’re not going to try and make this like a game or a training session?”

“Well we sort of are. I’m going to be shooting at that target over there and you can stop me in any way you want?”

“Hmm, sounds interesting.”

“But that also means that I can try and shoot at you.”

“You’ll never hit your mark.”

“We’ll see about that.”

The way Clint said it had Pietro staring cautiously at the other man. It sounded as if he knew something that Pietro didn’t. Nevertheless, he didn’t say anything and simply replied, “Yes we will.”

Once Clint grabbed his bow and arrow and started doing some practice shots, Pietro began warming up. Almost immediately it felt like getting back into his proper skin. He wished he’d been able to do this sooner as he zoomed around a few times, smiling so hard that he was probably going to get a headache later on. Finally he caught Clint’s words going by him and he stopped to see what the man wanted to say.

“Alright, now that we’ve both loosened up some, let’s get started.”

Pietro would have responded to that with a mischievous grin but Clint was already wearing one of his own. Once again, it made him uncertain but he didn’t say anything and just nodded.

Letting Clint let out a few more arrows, Pietro finally began zooming forward and snatching them up, one by one. It didn’t take long until Clint finally tried to fire an arrow at Pietro but the man easily ran by him, not only getting him out of the way but also unbalancing Clint. They went like that for several moments until something different finally happened.

Clint fired two arrows in rapid succession and Pietro, who had caught the first one, just barely dodged the second and immediately went for Clint. However, the other man was ready for it and in the seconds it took for Pietro to move from is spot to Clint’s, Hawkeye had thrown down his bow and arrow, reached out his hands, and lifted Pietro off the ground.

Pietro’s momentum had them spinning before Clint was able to steady them and finally lowered Pietro’s slimmer form to the ground. The kid was utterly shocked and didn’t move an inch as all of this happened, part of him unable to process that it had occurred at all.

“Told you I’d get my mark,” Clint said with grin. He didn’t give any inclination of the shock Pietro felt and instead went right on into a speech. “You see, you may be faster than everyone and everything else, but you’re predictable.”

Pietro just barely took this in, noticing how Clint’s hands were still on his waist.

“No matter what kind of power you have,” continued Clint, “no matter what your weapon is, predictability will get you killed on the battlefield. You did the same moves over and over like clockwork with very little diversity even when I changed what I was doing. Now to improve this you—”

Pietro kissed him.

It seemed like the right thing to do, he could still feel Clint’s hands on his hips. When he pulled back, he saw Clint’s shocked face, one that was probably a mirror image of Pietro’s only moments ago.

Pietro should have stayed. He should have talked about it, actually seen Clint’s reaction, but instead he broke the grip. He ran, taking only a few seconds before he was already back in his room with the door lock and no one the wiser except Clint.

Breathing heavily, Pietro tried to calm down, his brain finding it hard to believe that he actually did it. Almost a minute later he finally heard Clint nearing. He wondered if Clint had quickly looked anywhere else before trying the bedroom.

There was a knock.

“Hey, Pietro? Are you in there?”

Silence grew on both ends, Pietro keeping quiet and Clint waiting for an answer.

“Pietro?”

Once more Clint called his name and this time the silence was even longer and heavier than before. Pietro would have thought Clint had left if it wasn’t for the lack of receding footsteps. Nevertheless, it did seem that Clint had give up until he said one last thing.

“You in there kid?”

“I told you not to call me that!”

“Ha! I knew it! Now come and open up so we can talk.”

Pietro cursed himself for falling so easily to that but kept quiet again as Clint hammered on for several more minutes before finally giving up.

“Okay, we can talk about this later, but just warning you that Laura is making breakfast downstairs and her pancakes are to die for. So at least come down to that,” Clint added. “I don’t want you starving up here.”

Finally Pietro heard the receding footsteps that he was hoping for. However, he didn’t follow Clint down, at least not at first. About twenty minutes later the family downstairs saw a streak of blue and a missing plate of pancakes but other than that, they did not see Pietro for the rest of the day.

* * *

Wanda walked into the lab to see that for the moment, only Banner was there. He hadn’t spotted her yet, completely engrossed in his work, and Wanda honestly thought of turning around and just leaving then and there. However, she sucked up the nerves and moved forward instead, making sure that her movement was noisy enough and obvious enough so as to not startle the doctor.

Banner glanced over once and then did a double take when it registered exactly who was now standing beside him.

He quickly stood up straight and pushed his glasses up, taking a step away from her as he cautiously looked at her. “Um…Ms. Maximoff. Is there something you need?”

“Yes is…is this the energy signature that you’ve discovered to be connected with the crack in reality?” asked Wanda.

Bruce’s confusion showed clearly on his face as he glanced to where her finger was pointing and nodded. “Uh, yes it is. Why?”

Moving her head around the room, Wanda spotted a bag of chips and held out her hand. She watched as the world around her froze as she moved reality and time back to before when the bag was opened and made it so it never had been. When she released her hold on the fabric of the world around her, she collapsed much like before only this time Dr. Banner caught her instead.

However, at that same time, the readings on the machine spiked and he nearly released his hold on her as his attention was averted to the display. It took a moment but eventually, realization spread across Bruce’s face.

Wanda expected him to push her back, step away from her, and she steeled herself so that she didn’t just crumple on the floor. However, something else came across his face and the words that were finally whispered out of his mouth shocked Wanda more so than any action he could have performed.

“You brought your brother back.”

“I…well yes,” Wanda got out as she helped into a chair. “But how did you know?”

“I just saw how much that took out of you and there are much easier ways to take out the Avengers if that was your goal,” Bruce responded. “Besides, I’ve lost people who I was never as close to as you and your twin were yet I would do everything I could to get them back. It’s not that surprising.”

“I suppose not,” replied Wanda with a breathy sigh. “But I am surprised that you are not freaking out about this.”

“Well we both know that I have a very good reason not freak out,” Bruce said, “and if it’s any conciliation I still don’t trust you and I sure as hell don’t think I would find comfort being on a battlefield with you again. No offense but I probably won’t ever be able to get over that. It’s just something…something you can’t get over. But…you are a good person and I understand why you did what you did.”

“Thank you Dr. Banner.”

“Just Bruce is fine. It’s been so long since I’ve been called something so formal that it almost sounds wrong.”

“Right, then thank you Bruce.”

“You’re welcome. Now is that where you’ve been going off to during your free time? To see you brother?”

“No, I’ve been with Vision. He could sense what I had done, knew about it, but didn’t want to confront me as he was afraid I may become scared. He has been helping me to control and understand my abilities.”

Confused looking once more, Bruce asked, “Then where is he?”

“With Clint. I felt he was the only one I could trust,” Wanda responded.

“And is Pietro alright? Do you know how he’s doing as of this moment? Has he been to see a doctor?”

Immediately becoming wary, Wanda asked, “Why do you want to know?”

“I don’t mean to be pushy. It’s just that I’m worried what this kind of energy could do to a human body. I would like to help if that is at all possible,” Bruce replied.

“Help with what?”

Both turned their heads to see Tony sauntering in. As he passed the bag of chips, he cocked his head to the side and muttered, “I swear I already ate these,” but shrugged, pulled it open, and began shoveling the contents into his mouth.

Wanda didn’t say anything, waiting to see if Bruce was going to but he kept quiet, allowing her to take the lead.

“What? Are you two seriously keeping secrets from me? That is so lame,” muttered Tony.

“We’re not, but I need all of the Avengers present before I say anything,” Wanda said, already knowing she’d rather not continue with one on one.

“Alright, but I don’t quite get why you’re telling that to me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hello! Don’t you remember the last meeting?” asked Tony with a snort. “You’re an Avenger silly. Remember? You can call you own meeting even. Even say though two magical words that I seriously should have copyrighted.”

At Wanda’s blank stare, Tony let out an exasperated sigh.

“Avengers Assemble? You know the—oh never mind. Just come and let’s get this meeting over with so I can find out what the hell you guys have been talking about without me,” muttered Tony as he walked out of the lab, Wanda and Bruce following him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this, there will probably only be two more chapters left and hopefully I'll get them out to you soon. Enjoy!

“Wait, you’re telling me Pietro is alive?” asked Tony incredulously.

“And that he’s at Clint’s farm?” Natasha questioned cautiously.

Wanda nodded. It was something she had been doing a lot of. Everybody seemed to be asking the exact same questions but with different words as the group tried to wrap their head around it. At least they hadn’t immediately condemned her. “I believe it would be easier if I were to simply show you.”

“So a fieldtrip to Clint’s farm?” said Steve. “Alright, then we can all get over any uncertainty we hold. Besides, we’ve finished here. Fury’s and Hill’s group can stay here to help wean the people off of the support while we figure this out.”

Thor nodded in agreement. “Sounds like a fine idea to me.”

“Then let’s get going!” said Tony. “We’ll all pack up and take a Quinjet over.”

Wanda was surprised at how quick they wanted to go but she nodded, and agreed to it. As everyone split up for an hour to get ready, Vision followed Wanda.

“I am glad that it went so well.”

“As am I though I’m somewhat surprised. But also relieved. Defiantly relieved.”

Vision smiled at the relaxed ease in Wanda’s shoulders and the way she seemed more sure of herself now.

As he followed her, Wanda asked, “Don’t you have anything you need to get?”

“I don’t own anything.”

“Not any…really nothing? You don’t have anything?” questioned Wanda.

“Even if I had wanted to, there is nothing that I need. Not even clothes.”

That was hard for Wanda to comprehend as even in the worst of times she had had the clothes off of her back and her brother as well. A small frown remained across her face as she walked into her room though it dropped into a smile as she spotted something.

Rushing forward, she grabbed an old paperback and ran back to Vision. She handed it over with a look of true happiness across her face.

“It’s in Russian but I figured that wouldn’t be a problem.”

“There is no need to hand me this book. I am sure I can download it off the internet and if it is not there, I could scan these pages.”

“That’s not the point of a book,” Wanda said with a laugh.

“The words are meant to be consumed, are the not?”

“Interesting choice of words, and in a way you are right, but you can’t simply swallow it all and be done with it. The reason people read, at least with fiction, is to find a connection, to feel like they’re not alone. I don’t know if you’ll find any connection in this, but it is the only book that I have and no one should be without anything.”

 “I am not without anything. I have you.”

Wanda chuckled at that. “Well now you have two things. And remember to take your time with it. Just because you can do something faster, doesn’t mean you should.”

“I will take those words to heart.”

“Glad to hear it. Read some of it while I pack.”

“Alright, though I must say I’m curious to know more about your brother. I saw him very little before his passing. What will he be like when I meet him again?”

“Hopefully the same as always.”

“You are afraid that your powers have changed him.”

“A bit, though if our few phone calls are any sign then I already know I haven’t.”

“Then I will keep an open mind to what I meet. But I am still curious what he is like if you don’t mind.”

“Well,” said Wanda slowly, “he’s extremely full of himself.” She chuckled at that and Vision smiled upon seeing the look on her face. “He’s always been really full of himself.”

“And I take it that it is both a good and bad thing?”

“Yes but occasionally he can be humble. It’s rather amusing if you know how he usually is because he’ll get all wide eyed, blushing constantly. You know it has to be something that’s really unhinged him if he starts stumbling over his words. He’s not great with keeping his emotions in check though. He can be quick to lash out but only with words. And then he’ll usually run away from the situation.”

“Does that happen often?”

“No, I wouldn’t say that,” Wanda replied. “Though if it does then you know whatever’s caused him to get that riled up is important. He’s also more of a party head, likes louder music.”

“So you’re both quite opposites.”

“It can seem like that sometimes but there are plenty of things that make us similar.”

“Like what?” asked Vision.

“Later, I need to actually pay attention and pack. Read.”

Vision smiled at that and nodded as he turned his face towards the old paperback.

Almost hour passed before all the Avengers were loaded onto a Quinjet and ready to go, Tony being the main reason it took so long. The ride over was pleasant, time passing by quicker with the creation of games. The shortest one was eye-spy as most people chose blue. It was possibly the first time Wanda felt truly connected with the Avengers and she felt that it was the first time that they truly accepted her despite what she had just told them a little over an hour ago.

Nevertheless, it was a rather small space with a large number of people and Wanda found herself getting claustrophobic near the end. Vision seemed to help her the most with that. He distracted her by asking questions about the book and others, wanting to hear her input and curious what she had to say about his.

Then they were only ten minutes out. She’d been able to talk to Pietro plenty but a small part of her hadn’t been able to believe he was alive, even when he’d been breathing and hadn’t woken for a split second.

But now she would be able to see him, to hug him, the suspense was killing her.

When they touched down and walked out, they were met by a rather surprised Clint.

“Alright, clearly somebody didn’t tell him we were coming but hey!” cried out Tony. “Surprise parties are always nice.”

“Yes the one who’s always throwing them,” Clint replied, mouth still slightly open in shock. His eyes turned to Wanda, the question in them clear.

She nodded. “I told them. They know everything. I’m guessing Pietro’s inside right now?”

“Um…yeah unless he zipped off somewhere else,” Clint responded, his face going slightly red.

At first his reaction confused Wanda but then the realization of it all hit her like a load of bricks. Obviously, she couldn’t tell everything simply from a look but she knew her brother well enough to get an idea of what had happened, especially if her suspicions were correct.

“Oh that imbecile! Is he still in the same room as before?”

“Yes—”

“Thank you as always Clint but I don’t care if he starts screaming. Do not open that door until I’m done with him,” growled out Wanda as she made her way to the farm house. Everyone looked on rather confused, and a few even seemed concerned for Pietro’s safety, but only Wanda seemed to have an inkling of what was occurring. Even Clint didn’t seem to be completely aware of what had just happened.

Wanda thankfully didn’t run into the kids or anyone else before she got to Pietro’s door. Using her powers, she opened it and marched in, locking it behind her again before he could do anything.

“Hey, what—holy shit! Wanda you’re—”

“Don’t even think about hugging me yet! I am to pissed to be hugged!”

“Wait, what are you even talking about? I haven’t done—”

“—anything? Is that why you’ve apparently been hiding up here?”

“I haven’t been hiding!”

“Really? Then why the hell was the door locked? Why was Clint unsure if you were even in here? Why did he blush when I asked about you?”

Wanda watched as her brother’s interest piqued at the word blush though he quickly rambled into saying, “Will you stop interrogating me? We have seen each other for the first time in forever and all you want to do is ask me questions.”

“Well perhaps I would be a little more welcoming if you didn’t confuse the hell out of your host and clearly everyone here. Now, please explain to me what you did. Did you say something you shouldn’t have?”

“I’m not five,” growled out Pietro though Wanda looked unconvinced. When she didn’t reply and simply waited for an answer, he finally muttered, “It wasn’t something I said.”

“Wait, so you did something?”

“Maybe…”

“Oh god Pietro, what have you done?”

“It was nothing so don’t even bother asking.”

“I can tell,” Wanda responded sarcastically. “Now spit it out before I have to pull it from Clint. In front of the other Avengers.”

Pietro paled but quickly nodded in submission. “Alright! I uh…just do not tell anyone. Understand? I…I have kissed Clint.”

Clearly whatever reaction Pietro was expecting to get was not the one he got as he looked on in shock as happiness blossomed across Wanda’s face as she finally went and hugged her brother.

“Oh I knew something was going on!”

“Wait? What does that even mean? When?”

“Are you kidding me? Since you first met him!” Wanda responded, clearly overjoyed. “You thought you might have killed him yet you just kept going on and on about his reaction and the way you thought it was so cute how confused he was and—”

“Alright you can stop! The memory of me kissing him is embarrassing enough! No need to dredge up other memories while you’re at it.”

“What are you talking about? This is great news! Unless of course he didn’t take it well,” Wanda hurriedly said. “Is that what happened because in that case I can—”

“Wanda, I’m the older one. I can take care of myself and I certainly don’t need you to go protecting me or anything.”

“We’re twins, alright? And I can protect you as much as I want to. Now did he or did he not take it badly?”

“Well I…I don’t know. I left before he could say anything.”

The happy face she had been sporting dropped again to be one of being completely pissed off. “Oh you idiot!”

“Hey! Don’t slap me!”

“I will slap you now and I will continue to slap you. Why would you run off like that?”

“Because he didn’t do anything!”

“So? The poor thing was probably in shock,” Wanda responded. “When did it happen?”

“This morning.”

“And have you left since then?”

“Once for breakfast but no one really saw me,” Pietro responded.

“Well at least tell me you were planning to talk to him.”

The look on his face made the silent answer clear enough.

“You weren’t even going to talk to him? What, were you just going to stay in here and grab food and the occasional bathroom break when needed in the hopes that I would rescue you or something?”

“No!” shouted Pietro. “I mean…maybe but that’s beside the point!”

“No, that is exactly the point. You weren’t going to do anything despite the fact that you don’t even know if he likes you or not!”

“So? He probably doesn’t like me anyways.”

“And what could possibly make you say that?”

“He has a wife!”

“An ex-wife so once again, I don’t see the problem.”

Pietro remained silent, looking pouty and like he wasn’t planning to cooperate in the least so Wanda continued talking for him.

“How about this?” she asked. “We’ll sit here and make a list of pros and cons of actually talking to Clint, alright? After that, I’ll leave the choice up to you. Let’s start with the pros. Number one, I can kick his ass if he breaks your heart in anyway.”

Her last words actually caused Pietro to burst out laughing and he hugged Wanda in response. “You may be a pain in the ass but I’ve missed you sister.”

“Funny, those were going to be my exact same words.”


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One last chapter after this! I'll get it up soon and thank you to everyone for so far enjoying this story :)

The entire team was rather confused as to what the Maximoff twins could possibly be doing but soon became distracted with the kids, Laura, and Silvia. Seeing as there were over twice as many people in the house as there had been, cooking started right away for what would be undoubtedly many hungry mouths. Besides the games and rather casual conversations that went around, Tony also brought up ideas of a new base.

This one would be in an undisclosed location so that it wouldn’t be the looming target that Avengers Tower was. Despite having an idea as to what the building would look like, the kids quickly helped with designs and color schemes. The multiple conversations that were going around, Thor and Silvia were having a grand time, gave Natasha the opportunity to pull Clint aside.

“Alright, what happened with Pietro?”

“Do you always have to be so blunt?” muttered Clint with a shake of his head.

“Well one of us has to be. You skirt around any issue you’re unsure of and uncomfortable with. Now, please explain to me what happened with the kid because if you don’t, I will come up with a story ten times worse and tell it to the whole team.”

“Like they’d believe you.”

“I think we both know how persuasive I can be. Do you really want to bet on that?” Natasha asked with a devilish grin.

“I suppose not but hell if I tell you and Pietro finds out he may just kill me himself. I mean, he seemed pretty damn embarrassed.”

“That’s great and all Clint but right now I want the facts, not what it looked like to you but what you know for sure. Now what happened?”

“Urgh, Pietro kissed me during a training session.”

“Really?”

“Now why don’t you sound surprised?” he asked with an exasperated sigh.

“Because it really isn’t. The kid died for you after all. If that doesn’t show some deep connection then I don’t know what does.”

“Wait, you’re not suggesting that he’s in…well you know.”

“Love with you?” asked Natasha with some amusement. “That’s exactly what I think. So what occurred after he kissed you? What did you say?”

“Nothing! I was to in shock. I just kind of stared and then he suddenly zipped off. I’ve only seen him once more since it happened and that was only a blue streak,” Clint replied.

“And have you tried talking to him?”

“Well, no—”

“Clint, you can’t just avoid him!”

“He’s the one avoiding me!”

“Whatever, the point is you need to get wherever you stand on this straight in that kid’s head so that way he knows where you two stand and you’re not dancing around each other like ballerinas.”

“If anything it would be jazz.”

“That’s not the point,” she said with a shake of her head. “First off, do you even know how you feel about the kid?”

“Well for starters stop calling him kid. It’s making me feel like an old perv and—oh! That’s probably why he’s always hated me calling him that.”

“Probably. And seeing as you just referred to that word making you feel like an old pervert, you do like him don’t you?”

“He’s certainly attractive…”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Well can you see you and him in a relationship?”

“I don’t know! Stop being so goddamn blunt. It’s making my head hurt Nat!”

Natasha just rolled her eyes in response as she said, “Whatever. So did the kiss feel good then? Come on, it’s been a while since your split with Laura so I don’t see why you shouldn’t start dating. Especially if the feeling of attraction is mutual.”

“But what about the age gap?”

“It’s not like he’s in high school still or some shit. You’re both consenting adults so do what makes you happy and what makes Pietro happy.”

“Seriously?”

“What? Do you think I prefer you as a hermit?”

“I’m not a hermit and honestly, I’m surprised that you’d support this. I mean the kid was an enemy a while ago and did fuck up a lot of things before getting on our side.”

“As did I when I sold American intelligence to the highest bidder. It may be hard to believe but as much as I disliked the twins at the time, I fully understand the regret that can come with making a choice, even if it seemed the best one at the time,” replied Natasha. “Doesn’t mean I necessarily trust either of them but it’s not like I hate them.”

“So what should I do?”

“Give me a straight answer and I’ll tell you. Do you or do you not like him?”

“I…do…”

“Then go for it. It’s about time you tried something that was out of your league,” Natasha said with a small smirk.

“Hey! Excuse you but I’m way over his league thank you very much.”

Natasha just laughed as she left Clint. She observed the room and everyone seemed to be having an excellent time except Vision. He didn’t look uncomfortable or bored necessarily, just out of place and deep in thought. Curious, Natasha made her way to him and stood next to him, waiting to see if he would be the first to talk.

The android definitely peeked Natasha’s interest. His understanding yet outside view reminded her of how she had once felt at Shield, a part yet not. However, she was especially curious as to his relationship with Wanda, even if it seemed like nobody else saw it, as kid seemed to be the one person he had truly connected with. From the look on his face, Natasha was positive that it was of her that he was thinking about.

“Do you think the twins will be down soon?”

Natasha internally smiled at being right. However, she kept her carefully neutral face with the android and replied, “It’s hard to say. Why don’t you socialize while you wait?”

“I’m not sure I could. I have not experienced anything that they currently talk about and could only give a logical response,” Vision said. “To talk like this is opinion based and clearly familiar. I have neither of those to communicate with.”

“Well you certainly won’t get that by just standing here.”

“No, you are right about that,” he said softly, his face with a look of concentration upon it. He gave a glance around the area and then asked, “Clint Barton was once with Laura Barton but no more, am I correct?”

“Basically, yes,” Natasha said.

“So love is not a definite thing,” said Vision though it sounded more like a question. “I would think it would be. Now that you say it is not, I am confused as to why someone would partake in it if there is not a certainty of success.”

“Because it’s not about the success,” Natasha responded. “It’s about connections, ones that you can’t make with others.”

“But if they are not sure, why acknowledge them.”

“Because of that feeling of being understood, of not being alone anymore,” replied Natasha. “Besides, if there wasn’t a risk it wouldn’t be worth doing like it is today.”

“The risk makes it worth more,” Vision said, rearranging Natasha’s words.

“Exactly.”

“Is there such thing as love being rushed?”

“Of course. And it can be slow, take to long, not take long enough. There probably isn’t one certainty about love. It just happens and it’s your choice to take it or leave it,” Natasha said.

Vision was suddenly unable to continue to ask his questions though as a hand was tugging at his cape. He looked down to see one of Clint’s kids, Lila.

“Do you want to play Jenga?” she asked eagerly. “It’s more fun with four people but for the moment only Thor will play with me and Cooper.”

“But I do not know how.”

“We’ll teach you then,” Lila responded. “Just please try?”

Vision glanced to Natasha for any words of wisdom but she just shrugged in a very ‘it’s your own choice’ way and walked off to see what Tony was cackling about.

Rather quickly, Vision thought of the two choices he had: to remain on the sidelines or to actually socialize which was what Wanda was teaching and encouraging him to do. He decided on the second one and finally nodded.

“I will certainly try.”

He noted the bright smile that lit across Lila’s face and decided that he had defiantly made the right decision. She took his hand and led him away and to the kitchen table in the other room where Thor and the boy Cooper were already sitting.

“So you have decided to join us friend,” Thor said in a booming voice full of joy. “It is good to have a player more in line with young Cooper. That way Lila and I can use our full potential and have a proper battle.”

“Hey! I’m stronger than Lila!” Cooper cried out though it was obvious from the look on his face that he knew Thor was joking. “Besides, it’s you two who need to watch out!”

Vision smiled at their conversation as he sat down and rather quickly learned the rules. The first round he won straight away which the kids cheered him on for but as he had played the game, he’d noticed how Thor had taken some of the stupidest moves. It confused Vision but he mimicked Thor’s pattern the second time they played and he quickly realized why Thor had done so.

The kids laughter and joy when they won the game was not only beautiful but clearly boosted the children’s confidence. It made Vision realize that sometimes using everything one had was not always the best option. Sometimes, one had to take a step back.

They continued to play and the kids had just seemed to begin getting bored with Jenga that they started looking for a new game when a door opened and the sound of people on the stairs could be heard. For a moment, noise on the bottom floor quieted and then suddenly started up again as if people were trying to hide the fact that they were curious.

Vision did not do this however and made his way to the foot of the staircase. The first thing he noted was how exhausted the brother looked and how proud and accomplished Wanda looked.

“It is very nice to see you again Pietro.”

“You too Christmas.”

“Pietro!” growled out Wanda as she kicked him in the back of the leg. “Play nice! And go do what I told you to.”

Her eyes sparked red as one final warning and Pietro sighed in defeat as he wondered off. Wanda looked on approvingly and then came down the final steps to where Vision stood.

“Sorry for just running off but I needed to knock some sense into my brother.”

“Did it stick?”

“I think so,” Wanda replied with an easy smile. “What’s occurred while we were up there?”

“Nothing but socializing. I learned how to play Jenga.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever played that before. How about you show me?”

“I think the children just put it up. Hold on a second,” Vision replied. He went and got the game and then the two moved outside. Staying on the front porch they sat on the ground, forgoing the chairs since there was no table, and began to play.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but hopefully an enjoyable and fulfilling ending. I may write a sequel or at least a little epilogue later but I wanted to give everyone an ending that would hopefully be worth this story. Thank you for reading, for those who were with me from the beginning and those who joined later on. Thank you!

Pietro didn’t directly do what his sister had told him to, instead deciding it was best to wait until Clint wondered off to do something. The man eventually did, going into the kitchen to check on the cooking food for that night, and Pietro followed without making a sound.

It only took several moments before Clint turned back and finally spotted Pietro, jumping ever so slightly.

“Christ! Don’t sneak up on me!” spluttered Clint.

“What? I thought you were an assassin,” Pietro replied with a grin. However, he dropped it seconds later and asked, “But uh…being a bit more serious here, I was wondering if we could talk…maybe.”

“Yeah about that,” Clint said slowly, “I’ve been thinking about it and well I—”

Clint was interrupted as Pietro spoke, looking like he was becoming stiffed and closed off. “No, don’t say any more! I already know where this is going. I’ll just-leave yes leave I’ll just—”

“Alright, please stop assuming things,” Clint replied as he moved forward and stopped Pietro from running off. “I mean, I know I’m an idiot and I always have a shit ton to say when it doesn’t matter and when it does I don’t say anything at all but that doesn’t mean I’m ignoring you, or I’m angry, or anything like that.”

“So what are you saying?” asked Pietro carefully and uncertainly.

“Well…that I didn’t mind it…the kiss that is. It was…nice.”

For a moment, both were silent until finally Pietro asked, “Nice enough for a second one?”

The line should have made the air romantic, made the moment sweeter in some way, but both were to much of an asshole to allow that to happen and instead Clint laughed. “You suave motherfucker!” he cried out with a laugh though he quickly closed his mouth as he remembered that his kids and others were still in the house.

Pietro just grinned and replied, “Well I am European.”

“You don’t say,” Clint responded sarcastically with a cheesy grin.

And then both dipped down for a kiss and any anxiety over the situation, all ill thoughts and uncertainties, vanished.

Little did they know they were being watched by Vision and Wanda though. Wanda would have left the two alone but until the moment they kissed, she honestly didn’t think Pietro would do it. When she did, she just barely hid her cry of excitement and gave a little jump.

Vision looked at her curiously but also smiled. “This is cause for celebration?”

“Yes, he finally did it the little shit. I didn’t think he had the guts to but I am glad he did.”

“The thing they are doing and continuing to do. I am confused,” Vision remarked. “I thought humans had to have air to survive.”

“Idiots need less air than those with brains,” Wanda joked.

“Then I suppose you should only peck someone who is very intelligent so that they are able to keep getting their air supply.”

“What?” asked Wanda, utterly confused.

She didn’t get a straight answer though as Vision leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek.

“I believe you express your affections for someone like that, and Ms. Romanoff has informed me that no matter the chance, one should never let the carrying for another remained hidden; that a chance can be a good thing. I hope I have offended you in anyway.”

“No,” Wanda replied as she gathered her thoughts together. “No, not at all. That was very sweet of you. Perhaps…perhaps I could show you what a real kiss is later on.”

“Is that a good thing?” asked Vision curiously.

“I hope so,” Wanda said with a grin as she leaned up and gave Vision a quick peck of her own. “Now to give the news to everyone.” She walked away and into the sitting room where everyone was gathered and cried out, “Pietro and Clint finally are together!”

Tony actually dropped the mug he was holding as Thor looked on confused and Bruce appeared utterly baffled. Poor Cooper looked utterly shocked at the words as Lila pumped the air with a triumphant fist. Silvia and Laura both gave knowing and approving nods as Natasha was the only one that spoke with a small murmur off, “Finally.”

At the same time, Clint yelled out, “Hey! No fair on spying on us Natasha!”

“Whoever said it was me?” she cried back with a sly smile even though they couldn’t see.

A couples of seconds of silence spread across the room as Pietro suddenly shouted, “Wanda!”

The look of shock on everyone’s faces broke out into laughter as Tony folded over and said through his laughter and tears, “I’m surprised he hasn’t ran through here, knocking us all up side the heads in the hopes of erasing our memories!”

Wanda smirked at that. “Because no matter how fast he goes, that blue streak of his is probably bright red now and no way would any of us forget that.”

“Hey! I heard that to!”

Pietro flashed through, causing Wanda to unbalance though all she did in response was laugh and grin in happiness. If anyone noticed the bit of red that went with the usual blue streak, they didn’t say anything as for once, it truly felt like a family for everyone present.


End file.
